Beautiful Disaster
by Depravado
Summary: Score: good guys; zippo, bad guy; 3. The only good news is everybody survived, but what now? Byakko has already beaten the best Nerima has to offer. Or has he? Stay tuned, I'll try to keep it going on my end.
1. Default Chapter

Beautiful Disaster  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1, or any characters therein, if I did I'd just make a manga instead. I do own the characters I invent, but since I'm not making any money, it doesn't matter in the least.  
  
AN: Rated R for deplorable violence, graphic language, possible lemon/definate adult situations, and more suggestive dialogue than you can shake a stick at. You no like? No read. And while any reveiw is appreciated, simply typing "You suck!" is a bit stupid and immature, so let's try and keep it constructive. But, if any of you feel you have to do something like that, go ahead, since at least you bothered to read this. Also, I dedicate this to Mandy, for the title and the inspiration, and T- chan, who let me read her mangas back when the only anime I caught was on Cartoon Network. ::bows to both:: On with the show, and please reveiw.  
  
"speech" 'thought '  
  
Flashback or inner monologue ~~~~scene or narrative perspective change~~~~  
  
Chapter 1: A Different Kind of Enemy  
  
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and Ranma Saotome was intent on enjoying it without any stress from fiancées or rivals. He had already narrowly avoided Ryoga, and was keeping an eye out for any of the others. He put his hands behind his head and stretched as he walked, yawning lazily and thinking how glad he was that things had finally gotten back to normal, or at least what was normal for him. Here lately his life had been so hectic it made ducking cursed martial artists and trying to avoid being malleted into the ground while at the same time avoiding being molested in female form seem like a vacation...Though his and Akane fathers trying to wed them had managed to make things miserable again. The house got wrecked, and he and Akane felt even more akward around each other then before. And, thanks to his foot-in-mouth habit, that meant he had been injured by an angry and embarrassed Akane a record number of times. He sighed and stopped walking, realizing how far he had gone while thinking about recent events. He had almost ended up at school, and no way was he going on a Saturday. He turned and started away, but spun back around as a scream split the air. The voice was familiar, though it was distorted by pain and fear. "Kuno?" He ran for the origin of the sound as fast as he could, finding it behind the school. He froze when he turned the corner, the sight shocking him speechless.  
  
A young man who looked just a little older than himself was holding Kuno by the throat a few feet off the ground. Kuno had been beaten much, much worse than Ranma had ever seen him. One of his arms was snapped, and hanging in a sickening direction. He was bleeding badly from a gash in the side of his face and from his mouth.  
  
The assailent turned his head to give Ranma a piercing glare. He spoke in a cold and mocking voice. "You lost, kid?" Kuno weakly raised one arm, pointing to Ranma. "That's him, now please, let me go!" The stranger turned and looked at Kuno with disgust. "Spineless weakling!" He tightened his grip, and Kuno clawed at his hand weakly.  
  
Ranma stepped forward. "Hey! Enough's enough, let him go!" He silently wondered what he had done to upset this new enemy. "What do you want?"  
  
The stranger turned his head again, though he didn't release his victim, whose face was beginning to flush with oxygen deprivation. "You're Ranma Saotome? If so, I'm here for your life." He smiled an unpleasent smile and turned back to Kuno, though he continued speaking to Ranma. "Though the young kendoist here felt that I had somehow offended his honor, and challenged me to a duel to the death. Don't worry though, you won't have long to wait..."  
  
Ranma took another step foreward, getting into an attack stance. "Let him go, you've done enough damage! You're obviously stronger than him, are you enjoying beating on someone that much weaker than you?" His eyes narrowed. "Why don't you try me instead?"  
  
The stranger laughed mockingly, though he did realese his grip enough to allow Kuno to breath. "Wow kid, you really don't want me to waste this guy, huh?" His voice had a tinge of surprise. "Stupid, but honorable. I will kill you irregardless, but out of respect I will let the moron live." He release Kuno, who fell to the ground in a heap. "Besides, he sounds like he could use the dishonor..." He turned around slowly, crossing his arms over his chest and grinning viciously as he studied Ranma's form. "I was just gonna do it real fast before, but I think I'll give you a chance to fight back first."  
  
Ranma flashed a challenging grin, though the animal-like violence his opponent's eyes nearly made him flinch. "Aren't we cocky? Who do you think you are, me?" He tensed, preparing to strike. "You're in for a rude awakening, pal."  
  
The stranger shrugged off the trenchcoat he had been wearing and cast it aside, revealing himself to be wearing a kung fu gi almost identical to Ranma's, though the newcomer's gi top was white. He sank into a defensive stance, the grin fading into a cold and emotionless expression. "One of us is...."  
  
AN: That's it for this chapter, please read and review if you like it so far, the next one shouldn't be too long, but no promises other than I won't up and forget about it. 


	2. A Painful Lesson

AN: Muchos gracias to all who reviewed! Yeah, I thought the chapter was a little short myself, but I don't plan on cutting the rest off like that from here on. Also, letting someone who challenged you to a duel to the death live is a big slap in the face if they claim to value honor, that's one thing I'll grant Kuno. (Though I was putting serious thought to just killing the little stick-weilding prick...) And yeah, I think I might have accidentaly nabbed one or two of the lines from the Cell Saga from DBZ, it was on while I was working. By the way, I'll probably get a little static over the newcomer's nickname, but please bear in mind that it's just that, he has a real name.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, or any other bits and pieces of other copyrighted material that may find its way in this fanfiction.  
  
Chapter two: A Painful Lesson  
  
Ranma shook his head slowly and gave an exasperated sigh. "I don't get it, why does everyone want to kill me?" He growled and tensed up again, anger crossing his face. "Well, how about you? What's your problem with me?  
  
The young man chuckled as if he pitied him. "You sound like you get this a lot." He grinned evilly. "I can help with that..." His grin faded and he got a look on his face close to boredom. "Actually I don't have a problem with you, I just follow orders. Blame the misfortune of your birth." (AN: Name that quote!) His eyes narrowed. "Everyone involoved in the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts must die."  
  
Ranma felt his jaw drop. 'He's after everyone, this guy is serious!' Suddenly, the realization of what that meant hit him. When he spoke again, it was with a shaky voice. "Everyone?"  
  
The stranger cocked his head, sensing the change in his target. He flashed his shark-like grin once again. "Yes, that's right." He enunciated every syllabel carefully. "Every single one of them..."  
  
Ranma felt his blood turn cold. 'Akane!' His fear for her turned into rage at the sight of his sadistic grin. "You aren't getting anywhere near any of them! You hear me?! You stay away from them!"  
  
The other boy's grin grew even more wicked. "Yeah, now you're getting it! Come on, boy, it's up to you! Kill me, or I swear on my life I'll slaughter every last one of them!" He leaned foreward, and spoke in a stage whisper. "And I'll do it real slow, too..."  
  
Ranma lost control at that, charging before the thought to do so had even hit him. He balled up his fist and swung as hard as he could, all thoughts of form or technique lost in his blinding fury. He cried out in anger and aimed for that smirking face with enough force to literally wipe it off his face. And missed complety.  
  
In the same amount of time it took him to register his opponent had simply ducked, the stranger's hand blurred, and Ranma was sent flying backwards, unable to breathe. He landed on his back and slid to a stop several yards away.  
  
The stranger held the pose a moment longer, then lowered his fist, standing back to full height, shaking his head and clucking his tongue. "And to think, your friends' and family's lives really do depend on your winning; that must really feel terrible...  
  
Ranma was distinctly reminded of a time when his father had damaged his ribcage and internal organs during a training exercise when he was younger, deciding that that was most likely the kind of damage that he had been dealt. Never the less, he forced himself to set up and get to his knees. He coughed painfully, but his voice was still angry and threatening. "You stay away from her!"  
  
One of his opponent's eyebrows arced upwards. "Her?" He laughed maliciously "Oh, my! The plot thickens, there's a "her"... No wonder you're so upset! My condolences..."  
  
Ranma cursed himself and stood, ignoring the screaming pain in his chest. " You'll never get near her! You so much as look at her, and I'll kill you!" He charged again, though this time much slower, the pain and caution it gave him helping him stay more of less in control, and not losing his long- learned skills to anger. He stopped within striking distance and spun, aiming a reverse thrust kick at his opponents chest.  
  
The other sidestepped and lashed out with a low sidekick, catching the back of Ranma's leg and knocking him off balance, sending him to his knees. He followed up with roundhouse at the back of his exposed neck, but Ranma ducked under it, rolling a few feet away and regaining his feet. The assassin smirked, though his voice again had a tinge of respect. "Well, you managed that even with that little knock I gave you, I'm impressed."  
  
Ranma smirked himself in spite of his anger and pain, that cocky expression and tone of voice returning. "You'll be a lot more than impressed here in a second!" He tensed to attack again.  
  
The other boy's smirk faded, and he popped his knuckles threateningly. "Do tell..." He held up his hand and slowly made a fist, suddenly vanished into thin air.  
  
Ranma had just enough time to register his enemy was moving too fast to be seen before a fist slammed into his face so hard it nearly broke his neck. He hit the ground rolling and sliding like he'd been hit by a car, finally skidding to a halt, facedown, out in the road in front of the school.  
  
The other fighter drew back his fist and rubbed his knuckles, shaking his head pityingly. "I would go easier on you if you didn't act like an idiot." He glared at his victim, his lack of response speaking for itself. "Too bad, no more fun... All that talk and he didn't even land a punch." He started slowly walking towards Ranma's limp form, clearly taking his time. "You'd better not be the best around here..." He rolled the beaten martail artist over with one foot, revealing him to be, not only alive, but awake as well. "Whoa, that would kill most folks, good for you!" He laughed cruelly at his own joke.  
  
Ranma groaned and tried to get up, glaring daggers at his attacker.  
  
He stopped laughing when he saw the boy moving. He scoffed and reached behind his back, pulling a nasty-looking hunting knife. "You lose, kid; get over it." He got a more serious expression on his face. "I was just messing with you, by the way; I'm not gonna kill the others slowly. I'll try to be quick about it..."  
  
Ranma growled and tried harder to get up, but to no avail. Suddenly, a loud thunderclap sounded; a storm had somehow blown in out of nowhere.  
  
The other boy looked toward it with an expression of annoyance, then with back to Ranma, his frustration giving way to a thoughtful look. He grinned. "Well buddy, today is your lucky day! I have something else I need to do, and I don't even have enough time to waste finishing you off." He crouched down beside him and caught him by the collar, pulling him up so they were face to face. "By the way, I'm called Byakko, just in case you want to warn any of your friends or family what's after them." He got a rather proud look on his face. "Heh, some of them may have heard of me already..." He moved so close their noses were almost touching, his blue and golden-tinged eyes gleaming like dying embers. "Just remember, I will be watching you every moment you live from now on." With that, he let his head drop, and calmy walked away, in an opposite direction of the approaching storm.  
  
Shocking pain and numbing disbelief kept Ranma from even thinking about pursuit. One thought kept playing through his mind like a broken record; he had been beaten. Beaten with only two blows, no less. He had lost fights before, but had always come back and defeated his enemy eventually, no matter who it was. This time, however, his opponent had nearly destroyed him, seemingly effortlessly. And much worse than that, this opponent would not stop until he and nearly everyone he cared about was dead. He groaned and rolled over, managing to get up to his knees. His entire body felt like he was being stabbed by millions of dull needles, and he was having a lot of trouble breathing, his ribs probably cracked, if not broken. The pain of his wounds was magnified by humiliation and guilt so fiercely that he felt like he were dead already, but he managed to stand shakily to his feet. "Byakko..." He growled, swearing that he would stop him from hurting Akane or die trying, though he couldn't quite dismiss the thought that that is what it would probably come to. He took a shaky step and hissed sharply in pain; if Byakko came back tomorrow he was dead for sure, though he couldn't help but think he would take his time on whatever errand he was running, giving Ranma enough time to heal. He turned and stumbled down the road, towards the dojo, his mind and heart overloaded with the sudden trouble that had come to him; on top of everything else, it looked like it was going to rain...  
  
The boy who called himself Byakko watched from the shadows, having double- backed immediatly. He was quite amazed that his target could even move, let alone walk away, albeit slowly and gracelessly. He chuckled, glad he had decided to let him live. His threat had been a hollow one, just to make Saotome paranoid; he had no intention of wasting his time watching him. If he was foolish or cowardly enough to try to run, he would die right on the spot, instead of being allowed to heal. He grinned and turned away, making for the hotel he was staying in. 'This will give me the chance to catch some R&R anyway....'  
  
AN: Chapter two done, I hope the length is a little more acceptable this time, please give me some feedback on that, I'm still trying to decide on a standard chapter length. Hope you like, and no, I didn't rip the name off of Yu-Yu-Hakusho, at least not deliberatly. Hasta luego for now. 


	3. Just Like the Rest

AN:Nobody could get the quote? I was thinking of throwing one in from a different anime every chapter, but I guess that would be overdoing it. Sorry, bad habit. I had the worst kind of block, sorry this chapter took so long. Enjoy, please reveiw, and don't forget to tip your waitress.  
  
Chapter Three: Just Like the Rest  
  
Akane slowly slid open the door to Ranma's room, trying to peek in without making any noise. Ranma was laying on his futon in the exact same position he had been since they had returned from Dr. Tofu's last night. He, or she at that point, had come stumbling in from the storm just before dark, clutching her chest in pain and one side of her face badly swollen. She collapsed as soon as she got through the door, at which point they had taken her to the docter. Akane couldn't remember seeing him in so much pain, not even from the beatings from a mallet or boken that normally marked the end of one of their conversations with each other lately. She looked down at the bandage tape wrapped around his chest, and shook her head, both in anger and confusion. 'Three cracked ribs and severe whiplash, and from what Dr. Tofu said, he only got hit twice. And he refuses to say one word about who attacked him or why!' Nabiki had said that it was probably Ryoga or Kuno, or one of Ranma's other rivals with some new technique, and he was just taking it badly, but Akane couldn't help but think that this was something different. She leaned against the wall inside his room and sighed, watching him sleep, thinking back on all she had seen and experienced since she had met him. 'The longer he stays with us, the weirder and weirder things get...' She laughed quietly and smiled. 'Oh well, at least he's not boring. That and saving my life all those times...'  
  
She snapped out of her daze and shook her head rapidly, as if to wake herself up, deciding she had better leave before her sister came along to blackmail her, or take pictures, or something. She turned and almost got out the door when a voice calling her name made her stop.  
  
"Akane, what's wrong?" Ranma was wide awake, and already forcing himself to sit up, despite his still fresh injuries. The look on his face looked like he had been expecting something to happen, though Akane was shocked to see fear as well. She had thought cats were the only thing that could give him that expression; obviously now he had something else that scared him that badly.  
  
"Nothing!" She rushed over and pushed him back down, though that seemed to cause an equal amount of pain, "Don't try to get up you dummy, you'll hurt yourself!" She backed up a little and let out an exasperated yet relieved sigh. "This had to be the one time you don't sleep like a brick..."  
  
He gave a lopsided grin, though that was pretty much all he could do, given the condition of one side of his head. "At least I'm not built like one," he joked quietly.  
  
Instead of getting angry and hitting him, as she would normally do, Akane was immediately concerned. He sounded terrible to her, like something had shaken him badly. It must have shown on her face, because he cocked his head curiously, surprised by the worried expression on her face, instead of the violence he had expected. "What is it, Akane?"  
  
She thought for a moment, trying to decide whether or not she should try to press him about yesterday. Finally she sighed and closed the door behind her, sitting down on the floor beside him. She spoke in a quiet voice. "I'd like for you to tell me what happened to you yesterday. But if you don't wanna talk about it, that's okay..."  
  
He looked thoughtful for a long while, then nodded slowly. "It's okay. You really do need to know, I guess." He slowly sat up, wincing a little. He took a deep breath and began. "Yesterday before the storm started, I was walking around town. I eventually ended up near the school. Kuno was there along with this other guy about the same age who I'd never seen before. This new guy had beaten Kuno up really bad, so I told him to back off and let Kuno go."  
  
She interrupted, an incredulous look on her face. "You did that for Kuno?"  
  
He nodded. "He got it worse than I did. He may never be able to hold a boken again."  
  
Akane paled; she didn't much like Kuno, but for a martial artist to never again be able to practice their art.... It made her feel sorry for Kuno. Ranma continued. "Anyway he drops Kuno and turns to me." He paused for a moment, trying to decide the easiest way to say what he was going to say next. "He said he was here to destroy the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. To kill every member. Me, our fathers, you.... maybe even your sisters, my mother, and the other girls."  
  
Her eyes widened as her hand flew to her mouth. "Are you kidding?! Why would someone want to kill all of us?!"  
  
He could only shake his head. "I don't know," he said with a scowl. "He said something about a contract, I think he's a hitman, or something. He kept saying things like that, trying to get at me..." He clenched his fist angrily, bowing his head in shame. "And I walked right into it... I was on the ground with my ribs busted up before I even knew what hit me. And then when I tried again, that's when he got me in the head."  
  
Akane shook her head, her mind spinning with this new danger. " But he let you go, right? Maybe he doesn't really want to kill us." She couldn't imagine someone she didn't know wanting to take her life, and she couldn't picture anyone at all wanting to kill Kasumi or Ranma's mother.  
  
He scoffed, recalling the last few moments of the confrontation. "He said he had something else to do, but I think he was just letting me go to heal up and get ready for him." He stopped and frowned. "He seemed like the type to enjoy that sort of challenge," he said dryly. "He had me dead to rights. He even had a knife, it wouldn't have taken two seconds to finish me, but he took off anyway, saying he didn't have the time to waste."  
  
Akane stayed silent for a long time, running a hand through her hair and looking out the window. Finally, she looked back to him, her eyes meeting his. "Can you beat him?"  
  
For the first time in his life he didn't automatically come out with some cocky remark. He remained silent for a long time, trying to recall his enemy's moves and technique. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. "If I hadn't lost it the way I did, I may have lasted a little longer, but I just don't know..." He scoffed incredulously."I couldn't even tell you what style he used, he was so fast. And I've never been hit so hard before. It was like getting busted in the head with a hammer, or one of Shampoo's bonbori..."  
  
Akane exhaled sharply and shook her head, realizing with a sudden rush of dread what it meant if someone who wanted them all dead could beat Ranma. "So what a we we going to do?" When his only answer was to look down at the floor in shame, she realized just how hard it must be for him to have lost so badly, to say nothing of being unable to protect everyone. She thought hard for a moment, unsure of what to say. Finally, she rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled brightly. "Well, I'm sure this will work out just like all the other times stuff like this has happened. You'll feel better in no time, and when this guy comes back, you'll find some way to beat him and save everybody. You always do..."  
  
He looked up at her with a look of surprise on his face, which quickly melted into a smile, although he was blushing slightly. He scratched his neck and looked down again, this time in embarrassment. "Gee, thanks Akane." He suddenly felt much better about this whole mess, and that helped him to think more clearly.The smile and blush faded to a thoughtful look. While he appreciated the vote of confidence, he still wasn't too sure about his chances. "Okay, I want you to do something for me," he said finally. "I want you to warn everybody here at the dojo about this; your sisters, our fathers. Try to find out if any of them knows about this guy , he seemed to think someone would." He slowly got to his feet, wincing a little.  
  
Akane was at his side in a instant, helping him up, even though she had no idea what he had in mind. "Okay, but where do you think you're going?"  
  
He flashed another lopsided grin. "We may need a little help on this; what better way than to sick my other fiancées on the poor jerk." He grabbed some fresh clothes and headed for the bathroom. "Besides, they need to be warned anyway, in case he's coming after them." He stopped suddenly, a look of concern spreading across his injured features. "Aw man, you don't think that's why he took off do you? To go after somebody else I know to get to me?" He felt like somebody had kicked him in the gut, the image of Ukyou or Shampoo trying to fight off his sadistic attacker burning into his mind. He shook his head as if to clear the thought from his mind; he couldn't afford to get in a hurry to help someone and drop his guard, not now. He closed the door and quickly got dressed.  
  
Akane stood outside the door, clearly not liking the idea of him taking off and running around injured with someone looking for him to kill him. "What if this guy is just waiting for you to step outside to come after you again?" she yelled through the door. "You're not gonna be able to put up much of a fight hurt like you are."  
  
The door opened, and Ranma stepped back out, dressed. "I don't think he will. Like I said, he had me cold. For whatever reason he had for letting me go, I don't think he's gonna try to kill me today." He stepped around Akane and walked towards the front door. "Just warn everybody here about him and don't worry about me. I'll be fine."  
  
She scoffed incredulously. "Oh sure, what's to worry about? It's not like there's somebody running around who wants to kill you right now. And me..." She trailed off, then blinked. "By the way, how am I supposed describe this guy to everyone?"  
  
He scratched his neck. "Yeah, I guess a description would help... Let's see, he's about six feet tall, he's got short, black, spiked-up hair, and he looks about our age, maybe a little older." Ranma pictured him in his mind's eye and felt his anger return. "He said his name was Byako."  
  
Akane noticed the change in his voice and spoke quickly to change the subject. "Thanks, I'll talk to everyone here and see if they know something. Happosai might, if I can find him. I think he's out on a panty raid..."  
  
Ranma rolled his eyes. "I doubt that old fool knows anything useful, but it's worth a shot." He slid on his shoes and opened the door. "Well, I'm off. I think I'll get Ukchan's first, then swing by the Neko Hanten. Hopefully I'll be able to find Ryoga, too. Unless he's already left town," He added dryly.  
  
Akane started snickering. "Yeah, anybody after Ryoga would have a hard time of it, that's for sure. Lucky him..."  
  
Ranma smirked. "Heh, I'd rather get killed by this guy than have Ryoga's sense of direction..." He trailed off when Akane stopped laughing and got that worried look back on her face. He sighed and cursed himself for his big mouth. He shook his head and ginned cockily. "It's okay, you're right. I'll find a way to beat this guy. Nobody's going to die." He opened the front door.  
  
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know." Her smile faded as she watched him walk out the door. She walked to the door herself and called out to him before he got very far. "Just please be careful."  
  
He looked back to say something, but the obvious concern for him in her eyes made him falter. He smirked and spoke nervously and as if he were half- joking. "What, you worried about me?" Even as he said it, he wondered why he had; he knew she was worried, and still he was trying to aggrevate her, just like he always did when things suddenly got awkward.  
  
She surprised him by answering in a dead serious tone, and without any anger at all. "Yes, I'm worried. Now tell me that you'll be careful or I'm coming with you."  
  
Ranma looked at her in surprise for a moment, then nodded, the smirk faded from his face. "I will. You too, okay?"  
  
She nodded, and they just stood there looking at one another, both of them feeling more awkward with each stretching second. Finally, Ranma cleared his throat and waved, taking a few steps backwards. "Well, bye..." He turned and walked down the road.  
  
Akane let out a breath that she didn't realize she had been holding, and came back inside. She shut the door behind her and leaned on it heavily. 'Where did all that come from,' she thought, as much surprised with herself as with Ranma. That ws the first time in a long time they had talked without someone getting hurt, physically or otherwise.  
  
Nabiki's cool, purr-like voice came around the corner. "Boy, that was cute..." She slid around the corner, smirking, her eyes gleaming with a mischeivious curiousity . "So, what was up with that? Am I gonna get some nice juicy romance scenes on tape pretty soon?"  
  
Akane turned blood red and covered he face. She was almost afraid to ask if her sister was joking. "No! Jeez, Nabiki!" She started to turn and walk away when she suddenly remembered current events and turned back to Nabiki, her embarrassment forgotten. "On second thought, I need to talk to you. But let's go get everyone together so I only have to tell this story once."  
  
AN: Boy, that took a while. Sorry about that. I think I can get out chapters at this length a little faster from here on out, but who knows? Life is fickle, and not all who wander are lost. Hasta Luego. R&R. 


	4. Dreams

AN: Alright, looking great so far. Thanks a bunch for all the reviews so far, much appreciated. Gonna try something a little new this chapter, we can call this one "Getting to Know Your Armed Assailent: Mercenaries Today." Yeah, Rumiko Takahashi and Tom Clancy, I read entirely too much. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter Four: Dreams  
  
Disclaimer: What do you know, I still don't own Ranma 1/2 or any characters therein. Nor any other copyrighted material that may find its way into this fanfiction.

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_The hallway was thick with oily black smoke, making it hard to breathe . A young child of about five or six stood dressed in a black and white sleeveless kung fu gi in the middle of the hall, in front of a man slumped on the ground, who was sitting in a puddle of blood. The boy's exact age was impossible to say, because despite his small size , he was expertly holding a small submachine gun, his icy blue eyes as cold and merciless as their color. He had a long black sword strapped to his back, one that seemed much too long for him to be able to draw. The hallway was littered with corpses and debris, the sounds of a dying battle drifting down the hall from further away, muffled gunshots and the screams of the wounded. The man on the floor had both arms crossed over his stomach, blood coursing steadily from an unseen wound. He was wearing a buisiness suit, and looked to be the last sort of person one would expect to see in the middle of a gunbattle, though no less than his murderer. He looked up at the boy with something like surprise, as if he were unable to believe one so young had hurt him so. His "professional" bodyguards had been slaughtered in moments, most of them before they could even scream for help. And he himself had only gotten about ten feet before he was caught. The elite police force outside was no doubt suffering a similar fate, judging from the rapidly dwindling screams. The ones who had attacked him had moved with inhuman speed and brutal precison, particularly the young boy before him. He slid completely to the floor and held out a shaking hand to the boy, his voice weak and pitiful. "No, please....." The child's eyes narrowed as a new emotion filled them; contempt.. He smirked cruelly and raised his gun, his expression one of a murderous glee that seemed twisted on a child's face. He pressed the muzzle of the gun to the man's head and squeezed the trigger, and at the same moment as the gunshot, a young girl's voice screamed, the frantic and pained cry echoing through his mind .  
  
"Hiro!"   
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* * *

Hiroki Hazuki, a.k.a. "Byakko", gasped and bolted upright in bed, leveling the semi-automatic pistol that had been under his pillow at the door. He looked around the room quickly, making sure he was alone, then sighed, lowering his weapon, running his other hand through his short, course hair. He gradually slowed his breathing and thought about the dream. He shook his head, exhaling through his teeth with a hiss. These flashbacks were rare, but he still couldn't seem to escape them, especially at certain times of the year. '_December will be worse_,' he thought glumly. He turned his head to look at the alarm clock on a small table, only to have to move aside an almost empty bottle of Russian Vodka that was blocking it from veiw. He inspected the bottle thoughtfully, drained it with a grimace, then chucked it into the wastebasket near the door. He glanced back at the clock; it was almost eleven. He couldn't help but grin. "Guess I need to start taking it easy," he said out loud to himself. "Before I get drunk and blow a hole through some room service lady. Again..."  
  
He got to his feet, wobbling a little, stretching and yawning loudly. He lowered his arms and rubbed the back of his head, walking over to open a window. The horribly bright sun was rather unforgiving, but the sweet-smelling breeze that hit his face fixed him right up. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, smiling at the view he recieved as soon as he managed to get his eyes to focus. The city was a beautiful sight, and as usual it was not very active at the moment. This was the part of his job he enjoyed the most; the freedom. He had learned a long time ago to treasure his free time, and he was having no problem doing so here. A smart man could stretch a three-day contract into a two-week vacation, and he was putting serious thought to doing just that. '_Besides_,' he thought bemusingly. '_That Saotome kid will probably need a while to _heal_._' The humor was short-lived however, and the smirk faded from his face. He honestly felt a little bad for the poor kid. Saotome had seemed like the innocent sort, and one that had seen his fair share of trouble to begin with. Still, Hiroki wasn't quite willing to sacrifice his pay, much less his life, just to satisfy his morals, as checkered as they already were.  
  
He shook his head, trying to put all thoughts of buisiness and death aside, determined to enjoy a little off time while he could. He thought for a moment, trying to decide what to do with such a beautiful day. His stomach offered a suggestion with a loud growl. He shrugged, walked over to his bed, and pulled a large duffel bag from under it, fishing out some fresh clothes. He decided on some loose fitting blue jeans and a plain black T- shirt. He would've prefered to wear his combat gi, but he decided against it since he needed to not draw attention. '_Besides_,' he thought after a moment. '_Saotome has almost the same taste in clothing_.' True enough, the boy had been wearing a kung fu gi a lot like his own, with exception to the color and sleeves of his shirt. He frowned thoughtfully; yet another reason to feel bad about killing the kid, he had good taste.  
  
He clucked his tongue and lay his outfit on the bed, looking over at the table to check the time again, when his eyes fell upon a rather ornate sake cup made of crystal laying overturned on the floor. He bent down and quickly picked it up, brushing it off with great care. He set it back on the table and looked at it, frowning sadly and sighing as his good mood slipped away completely. It was the same every time looked at it, every time he so much as thought about it, yet he couldn't bring himself to throw it away, or sell it. He shook his head slowly, running a hand down his face and letting it drop it his side. "December will be worse..." he said to no one in particular, then turned, much less cheerfully, to pick up his clothes and get dressed.

* * *

Ranma walked slowly with his hands at his sides, trying hard not to cause himself any more pain than he needed to just by walking. Looking over his shoulder constantly didn't help, neither his injuries, nor his mood. He stopped and leaned against a light pole to catch his breath, wondering what he had managed to do to earn himself this much bad fortune. '_Let's see, being born to theiving jerk of a father and a sword-toting mother, getting cursed to turn into a girl every time I get splashed with cold water, getting nearly every decent martial artist in the country trying to challenge me and/or molest me, and managing to get myself engaged to my best friend, a Chinese Amazon who originally wanted to kill me, a psychotic gymnast, and the worst cook in the whole of Japan._' He scoffed aloud, though he soon grew thoughtful; for some reason, thinking bad of Akane didn't feel right anymore. He wasn't sure why he said the things he did, he rarely even remotely believed any of the names he called her, with the exception of my remarks about her cooking skills. He scoffed again, though it was much more inwardly directed this time. '_The thought of somebody like Byakko attacking her drives me crazy, and I still can't help but pick fights with her..._' He sighed and continued down the street, thinking of how she had refused to take the bait earlier. '_Was that because she was so worried, or just because I'm too messed up to put up a decent fight?_' He was so lost in thought he nearly ran right into the door of Ucchan's. He stepped through, and automatically Konatsu jumped to greet him.  
  
"Hi, there!" the cross-dressing waiter started, until he recognized him. "Oh, hey Ranma, what's up?" He noticed the bruises on Ranma's face and raised an eyebrow. "Everything okay?"  
  
Ranma sighed and shook his head. "Not really, I kinda need to talk to Ukyo, she around?"  
  
His friend's voice came from the back, in the kitchen. "Hey, is that Ranma?" Ukyo came around the corner, wearing an apron and wielding one of her spatulas. She smiled at Ranma as soon as she saw him. "I thought that was you I heard, hang on a second, hun." She disapeared around the corner for a moment, then came back out carrying a plate. She set it on the table of the only other person in the resteraunt and turned back to him. "So, what can I do for you Ran-chan?" Her smile faded when she saw his face." Wow! Did Ryoga get after you, or what?"  
  
Ranma scoffed incredulously. "Aw, c'mon, you think Ryoga could land a shot like this on me!" He rolled his eyes and sat down at a table, muttering questions about her sanity.  
  
Ukyo and Konatsu looked at each other skeptically, then Ukyo sat down across from him, grinning at him amiably. "Okay then honey, who beat you up?" she asked patiently, as if the answer would probably make her laugh. Konatsu smirked and went back to cleaning tables.  
  
Ranma sighed and propped his head up on the table. "That's what I came to talk about, actually." He leaned closer, lowering his voice a little, still remembering what his attacker had said about watching him. "Have you ever heard of an assassin named Byakko?"

* * *

Hiroki walked down the sidewalk, traveling away from the hotel where he was staying. His expression was still solomn and withdrawn, but as he walked down the road, he couldn't help but let himself be cheered up by his surroundings. This place was much nicer than a lot of other places he had been to, but it was also just a little wierd. It wasn't something he could identify, just a feeling, as if everyone living there was waiting for something, holding their breath. It felt much like the vibe he got from locations prone to catastorphic natural disasters, violent crimes, or terrorist attacks. But since there was no obvious signs of any of these things, he couldn't see any need to walk around armed all the time. 'Besides,' he though to himself with a grin. 'anyone stupid enough to try and rob this tourist will likely wish he had simply been shot.' The freak storm from last night had all but disappeared by this morning, and it was turning out to be a downright beautiful day. His good mood restored, he put a little more thought to his location. He usually woke up very early, and had neglected to eat yesterday, since he wasn't sure if he would finish his job yesterday or not. Eating for a man in his line of work was just as dangerous as leaving his gun unloaded. There were entire legions of people who would see him dead, entire countries, and Hiroki had not lived seventeen years by taking chances. That was why he had just told room service to take a hike, much to his stomach's disaproval. True, this place wasn't exactly Sicily, Italy or Detriot, Michigan, but he still wasn't willing to risk a little rat poison in his lunch, just to avoid a little excercise. His luck, not to mention his metabolism as it was, the poison probably wouldn't kill him, just make him real sorry about breathing for a few days.  
  
Hiroki chuckled aloud as he walked, thinking of the various times he had caught would-be assassins trying to slip something in his food, or bomb his car. 'Quite amazing how you can talk a man into comitting suicide over a few hundred thousand dollars...' he thought with a smirk. It was a lesson that had been drilled into his head enough to know by heart, one that he himself was a living reminder of; Pay a man enough, and he'll walk barefoot, blindfolded, and handcuffed into Hell. He sighed and looked for a street sign, recalling the map he had memorized before his arrival. The Cat Cafe was closest to where he was was right now, so he turned and headed in that direction. Upon doing so, he nearly stepped on a small black pig with a yellow bandana around his neck. He frowned at the small creature, only to have it look up and give him the oddest look of human-like irritation. The little pig squeeled at him angrily and gave him another odd "Go to hell" look, then turned and marched off, looking amazingly sullen to be nothing more than a dumb animal. Hiroki scratched his head thoughtfully and started again for the resteraunt, sneaking a look over his shoulder to make sure the pig wasn't following him; whatever was wrong with this town, he sure as hell hoped it wasn't in the food.

* * *

Ukyou leaned back into her chair and exhaled sharply, slowly running a hand through her hair. "Oh wow, this is major, huh?"  
  
Ranma nodded, looking over his shoulder to the door. "Yeah, pretty much. The way he made it sound was that he's gonna be back, and in a less playful mood."  
  
She shook her head and took a drink of the sodas she had gotten for them. "I don't get it, you don't even know any hitmen, or anyone like the people who hire them. Who would want you dead?"  
  
He shrugged. "Actually I'm kinda used to it by now." His face darkened. "They just don't usually seem to be quite so sincere about it. At least not since Shampoo found out I was a guy." He sighed and drained his drink. "At least the odds of this guy fallin' in love with my girl body are pretty slim..."  
  
Ukyo scoffed, running a hand down her forehead. "Jeez! Demi-gods, Amazons, hitmen! What is it with you, Ranma?!" She laughed without humor, obviously getting upset. "I mean, c'mon! Maybe you're just not living right, huh? Maybe there's just something that you're doing wrong..." She trailed off, standing up and pacing in front of the table, shaking her head incredulously.  
  
Ranma though for a long moment about his childhood friend, about how even though he had thought she was a boy back then, she really hadn't changed all that much. That in mind, Ranma thought about what would be the most appropriate thing for him to say. "Yeah, I know..." He sighed melodramatically and put on an obviously-fake mournful face. "It's hard work, bein' this good....  
  
Ukyo's jaw dropped as she registered his words. She stayed that way for a moment, then rolled her eyes, looking like she couldn't decide whether to smack him, break out laughing, or just storm off. She finally settled on a little of all three, lunging like she was gonna slap him, while laughing, then just walking behind the counter. "You are an imp, you know that?" she asked when she managed to quiet her laughter. "A goofy, unlucky, little imp who manages to get all his friends who care about him in trouble." Her eyes shone with fondness though; Ranma hadn't changed that much either.  
  
He grinned at her and stood up. "Well, I can't take all the credit, no way would I make so many enemies on my own." His grin faded as he realized that what she had said had some truth; now, even if Byako hadn't planned on attacking her, Ukyo would try to seek him out before he could attack Ranma again. "Listen Ukyo, I want you to be really careful, okay? I don't want you or Konatsu to get hurt in all this. Just keep your eyes open for anybody wierd coming in, and don't confront someone you don't know, alright?" She started to roll her eyes, but Ranma reached out and grabbed her arm. "Hey, I mean it! Please, Ukyo, for me?  
  
She frowned, but nodded her head. "Okay Ranma, but don't think I'm not gonna have something to say when this guy shows up to fight you again."  
  
He grinned and patted her shoulder. "No sweat, you're just gonna have to fight with everyone else who gets to keep which parts. I'm going to head to the Cat Cafe next." He turned and started for the door, then snapped his fingers and turned around. "By the way, if you see Ryoga, grab him and don't let him wander out of town until I get to talk to him."  
  
Ukyo nodded somberly as he walked out the door. "I'll do that. Be careful, okay Ranma?"  
  
"No sweat, Ucchan." He flashed her a grin and a thumbs up, then walked out the door.  
  
She sighed and leaned against the counter. "Oh boy, just when you thought it was safe to set down your spatulas..." She turned to look at Konatsu, who was busily cleaning tables. "How much of that did you catch, Konatsu?"  
  
He did not look up, but grinned proudly none the less. "All of it. Sounds pretty bad." He stopped cleaning and pulled up a chair. "What is that guy's name, by the way?" He reached over and grabbed his drink off the bar.  
  
She batted her eyelashes at him. "Thought you caught all of it, O great Master Ninja." She started laughing when he blushed and rolled his eyes. "I'm just teasing you, hun." She thought for a moment. "And it's Byako, I think."  
  
Konatsu lost the mouthful of drink he had in a coughing, gagging spray, soaking his apron. He hacked and sputtered, his face flushed. "The White Tiger?! It couldn't be, that guy died years ago! Are you sure that's what Ranma said his name was?"  
  
She was standing a little further back now, wary of flying soda. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Why, do you know something?"  
  
Konatsu flipped his ponytail over his shoulder and sat down, looking thoughtful. "Well, the Byako I've heard of is a real nasty fellow. He's killed an awful lot of people, just about all of them had ties to some shady buisiness. He's also supposed to be one of the best martial artists around, but he's never fought publicly, so no one really knows."  
  
Ukyo whistled softly, then waved her hand at him. "Go on."  
  
Konatsu frowned. "The thing is, he disappeared about two years ago, and usually when somebody in his line of work disappears..." He drug his thumb across his neck with a tearing sound. "Plus, it doesn't sound like the same guy. Byako didn't let anyone ever see his face, according to the stories. Supposedly, if you did manage to see his face, you would be dead before the next sunrise. Plus, he always carried this really cool-styled nodachi, with a really thin blade and a really long handle. " Konatsu shook his head. "No, I doubt this is the same guy. Though he's still awfully strong for a copycat..."  
  
"Oh, great. Ranma somehow managed to get a guy with his own urban legends after him. Maybe we should try to get his autograph, what do you think?" Ukyo sighed and looked towards the door Ranma had walked out of. '_Now what have you gotten yourself into, Ranchan?_' she thought to herself anxiously.  
  
Ranma walked towards the Cat Cafe, already wondering if he was making a bad move. Ryoga and Shampoo would likely try to find Byako for themselves when Ranma told them about what happened; Shampoo for himself and Ryoga because he was a threat to Akane. He would have to hope he could get them to stay low and not go out on a manhunt; Shampoo would likely get herself killed, and Ryoga wouldn't be back in town until it was all over. He was beginning to feel hopeful though, thinking of how much different the odds would be if he managed to get allies like them, especailly if Cologne had decided to get involved. He smiled up at the beautiful sky, his injuries hurting him less with each step. Little did he know Byako had already arrived at the Neko Hanten.

* * *

AN: End of Chapter 4, 5 is already just about done. Anybody else having trouble uploading? Also, I'm not entirely sure if Nerima is near the ocean. (Updated- turns out Nerima is nowhere near the ocean. Oops.) Great reviews so far, see ya real soon. Hasta luego. 


	5. One Less to Worry About

AN: Whew! Boy, what a rough couple of ...well, months... n.n; Yeah...well anyway, finally back to writing a little bit, so stay tuned. I like the comments on Hiroki, because that's pretty much what I was aiming for. The whole idea behind this fanfiction was to try and throw a little darker note into what is otherwise a great story. (:Bows to Ms. Takahashi:)

Disclaimer: What do you know, I still don't own Ranma 1/2 or any characters therein. Nor any other copyrighted stuff that might find it's way into this fanfiction.

Hiroki opened the door to the Nekohanten, stepping inside cautiously. He didn't see how they got "Cat Cafe", but all in all it was a pretty nice little looking resteraunt, and judging from the wonderful aroma of food from the kitchen, he would likely enjoy his visit. He looked around and started to walk over to the counter, when an thickly accented female voice called from behind him.

"Nihao! Can Shampoo help you?"

He jumped and spun around; and suddenly had to fight hard to keep his jaw off the floor. Standing in front of him had to be one of the cutest girls he had ever seen. Exotically colored waist-length hair, tied back away from an angelic heart-shaped face. Her eyes were the color of dark wine, and practically shone with cheerful energy, if not a little mischief. The pantsuit and apron she was wearing covered her completely, but hugged her nicely curved body in a way that left very little to the imagination. When she moved, those curves had a nice athletic tone to them, making her appear all the more beautiful. He faltered, working his mouth like he couldn't quite get his words arranged.

She looked at him and giggled; while she had certainly been hit on a lot since she moved to Japan, she had rarely managed to render someone senseless. "So, you like to sit down at table, yes?

He snapped his mouth shut with an audiable click, and he smiled nonchalantly. "Yeah, thanks."

She smiled amiably and turned around. "This way." As she walked toward the table she glanced over her shoulder to make sure he wasn't still just standing there, gawking at her. 'Well, nice to know that my looks aren't the reason Ranma won't marry me,' she thought to herself, frowning a little as she did. She quickly pushed the depressing thought from her mind, deciding she would take him some lunch while she was on break later.

Hiroki followed behind her, shaking his head and cursing himself for looking like an idiot. He noticed her look over her shoulder and he grinned like a fool, suddenly glad as hell he had been busy beating himself up and not checking her out. He followed her to a two-seat table and sat down.

Shampoo handed him a menu and took out a notepad." What can Shampoo do for you?"

He smiled at her accent, glancing down at the menu. He looked up again and raised an eyebrow conspiritorally, looking at her with obvious attraction. "Honestly?"

She blushed and smirked. "Within reason."

He laughed at the unexpected joke, then leaned foreward a little, keeping a completely straight face. "You could please bring me a bowl of beef noodles and some tea to drink." He offered the menu back to her, smiling at her with obvious attraction.

She blinked, then took the menu back and nodded, failing to keep a grin from her face. She had been expecting a pickup line, though one good look at his expression towards her was pretty much giving the same message as any cute or witty remarks. "Right, Shampoo bring tea right away, order take a few minutes more."

Hiroki watched her walk away, leaning back a little in his seat as he did. 'Wow,' he thought to himself. 'I bet this place stays busy when the local high school lets out...' He had little doubt in his mind that the resteraunt he was in didn't make at least a little extra money just for having such an attractive waitress. 'Big tips for that one, no doubt.' She suddenly glanced over and caught him looking. He quickly turn his head back around, suddenly feeling really sleazy. Which was strange in itself, because he usually enjoyed that feeling. He cleared his throat and turned back to her when she brought the tea. "So, did you say your name was Shampoo?"

"Yes, that right." She kept her face neutral, in case he was really a jerk who was beginning to feel brave. Much as she liked having someone flirt with her, especially a guy as cute as this one, she wouldn't have anyone going to far and causing her trouble.

He smiled and spoke in flawless Chinese. "So, would that be the Japanese attempt at the name Xian Pu?"

She did a quick double take, then smiled as if she were impressed, sitting down across from him. "Yes, it is. Are you from China as well?"

He smiled even wider and shook his head. "No, just really well educated." He poured some tea and leaned back. "That's a beautiful name, by the way." He took a long sip of tea. "So, what brings you so far from your homeland?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly felt something small hit her in the head. Shampoo turned to see her great-great-grandmother perched in the doorway to the kitchen, looking like she was ready to come out there, grab Shampoo by the ear, and drag her into the back. She quickly stood up, blushing. "Whoops! Have to go!" She rubbed her head where whatever had been thrown had hit her, looking embarrassed. "Beef noodles, right?"

He smiled sympathetically and nodded. "You got it." He watched her until she disapeared into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight he turned back around to his tea and gave a low whistle, more to keep from grinning like an idiot than anything else. 'Damn, I wonder if she's seeing anybody...' He chuckled and leaned back in his chair, grinning despite himself; now this was more along the line of his idea of a vacation.

He had been told on more than one occasion that the one moment when you absolutely don't expect something to happen, something always will. That was why for the most part, nothing ever surprised him. There wasn't a waking moment of the day or night he relaxed or didn't watch his back. In spite of this, the city was making him feel downright lazy, and seemed to be trying it's best to get him to mellow out and enjoy his "vacation". He yawned and let go a little on his almost always tense muscles, taking a long sip of tea. 'Well, this place isnt so bad after all, I guess,' he thought to himself. 'No motor traffic, no guns other than mine, no street gangs...' He smiled dreamily seeming defenselessness of this city, and smiled even wider when he thought of the carnage he could loose upon this town if he had been so ordered. He leaned back in his chair a little and yawned again.

The bell on the door jingled, and more out of habit than anything else, Hiroki glanced over his shoulder to look. In that moment when he saw who had opened the door, he could have sworn he heard the irony gods absolutely laughing their asses off; Ranma Saotome had just walked into the resteraunt and was looking right at him.

Ranma's jaw dropped as he recognized Byakko, despite his more casual appearance. Of all the thing he had expectated to see when walking into the Cat Cafe, his would-be assassin sitting back and enjoying a nice hot cup of tea was just about the last. He froze, not sure if he should run, fight, or just continue to stand there and look dumb. He stood that way a full three seconds, trying to close his mouth and think of an intelligent move. He blinked and shook his head slightly to snap himself out of it, quickly getting his wits back. But in the instant his eyes were closed, his enemy had vanished into thin air. Ranma ran over to the table he had been sitting at, his confusion growing more and more every second. He hadn't just vanished; the cup and saucer were gone, the seat was pushed back in, and there was absolutley no sign that there had been anyone there at all. He quickly looked around, towards the doors and the bathrooms; nothing, not a trace of movement. Ranma shook his head in wonder, this time directed more inwardly. 'Did I just imagine that? I mean, he's fast but...' He felt his forehead to see if he had a fever, when he heard Shampoo's voice from behind him.

"Ranma! You come to see Shampoo?" She was edging foreward like she was just looking for an excuse to pounce on him.

He backed away a little, raising his hands defensively. "Whoa, take it easy Shampoo!" He slowly put his hands down but stayed ready to dodge in case she decided to try to latch onto him.

She saw his black eye and frowned. "You want Shampoo kill Violent Girl for you?" She brightned at the thought and edged closer. "Then Ranma can make Shampoo his bride!"

He groaned in exasperation and shook his head. "No, and Akane isn't the one who hit me. I need to talk to Cologne, is she around?"

Cologne's voice answered form the kitchen. "Yes, she is." The ancient Amazon matriarch came boucing into the room on her walking stick. She gave Ranma a fishy look. "So, what's wrong now, son-in-law? You never come here willingly unless you're hungry, or something has happened you either can't handle or don't understand."

His face darkened a little and scratched the back of his neck. "Right, thank you very much..." He suddenly remembered why he came and cleared his throat. "Actually it's true, I do need your help."

Cologne waved her hand dismissively. "My intuition impresses even me..." she said dryly. She motioned him to sit down at a nearby table. "So, what troubles you?"

He started to reply, but broke off before speaking a word, a strange sensation hitting him. It was like the feeling of being watched, only much stronger, more like a certainty of being watch, rather than a suspicion. He looked around the resteraunt once more, knowing his enemy was nearby.

Elder Cologne watched him with a growing curiosity. 'He's afraid, and he isn't making the slightest effort to hide it, even from me. Interesting...' She stayed silent, indulging him his paranioa undisturbed, though she wouldn't deny that she was most anxious to learn what stalked him. He finally finished his search for danger and turned his head back around. "Do you, or have you felt anything funny around here recently? A strong aura from some new customer, anything like that?"

Cologne shook her head. "Nothing, and I have been here everyday. Who is it that hunts you, son-in-law?" His eyes widened in shock, and a twinge of suspicion appeared as well. "Wha- how did you know?" The ancient woman chuckled to herself. "Really boy, If you were any more nervous you would be shaking. And I doubt that eye of yours is the work of Akane or one of the others. You usually don't let them mark you that badly...or embarrassingly..." She broke into a laugh that was more than a little mocking.

His face flushed, suddenly putting serious thought towards just leaving them out this whole mess; he needed help, not the old ghouls lip. "Well, personally I'd hate to see what he would do to you," he muttered, though deliberately loud enough for her to hear. She stopped laughing and afixed him with a glare. "Well then, why don't you tell me about this new nemisis of yours then, just so I can feel safe..." Her voice was thick with sarcasm.

Shampoo spoke up from a few feet away, listening in. "What wrong, Ranma? Who after you now?" Cologne shot a glare at her, and she quickly backed off, bowing and going back to her work. The Elder turned back to him, gesturing for him to proceed. He nodded and sighed. "He calls himself Byakko."

Hiroki cursed aloud; he couldn't hear the words Saotome was speaking, but since he could see his lips move, it didn't matter in the least. He had been lucky, damn lucky to get out before he could be cornered, managing to do so in a way that his target wasn't even entirely sure he had seen him at all. Suddenly, he couldn't help but damn near despise the boy for ruining his lunch, even though he knew it was probably an honest mistake. Much less that he had just had to steal a teacup and saucer from a resteraunt, and he still had a meal to pay for! He growled angrily and reached for the spot where he normally wore a gun, only to curse when he remembered he wasn't carrying. He looked back to his prey, his fury calming somewhat. He sighed, suddenly glad he had left his gun at home. He probably wouldn't have actually shot him, but best just not to have the temptation.

He watched as they conversed, his vantage point letting him moniter the entire conversation. Saotome was telling the old one all about him. All that he knew about him, at any rate. He smiled in spite of himself; This kid was gonna put up a really good fight, by the looks of it. He was obviously trying to get the old woman to side with him, and though she concealed it rather well, he could tell she was probably quite a martial artist herself. Probably the waitress, too. He frowned a little; he didn't much care for violence against women, especially one as attractive and downright nice as Shampoo. He watched as Ranma told the withered-looking lady that Byakko was probably nearby, watching them. Hiroki had a good laugh over that one; that little statement he had made the other day about watching him constantly seemed to have him awfully worked up. His grin ran even wider as he saw the old lady shake her head.

Ranma just gawked at her for a moment, not believing what he had just heard. "What do you mean, no? No, you don't know him, or no you're not going to help me?"

Cologne sighed sadly and again shook her head. "No to both, Ranma. No, I do not know of any Byakko, and no, whoever this new threat is, I, Shampoo, nor Mousse will help you. I'm sorry but to be perfectly honest, it is not any of our concern." Shampoo gave up on pretending she was working and spoke up. " 'Not our concern'? Great Grandmother, Ranma need help, of course it our concern!" Ranma was shocked, but he was not even close to giving up. "You know, being dead would be a real big obstacle for this whole engagement thing..." He inwardly whinced; he didn't enjoy giving Shampoo ammunition for later.

Cologne only got a darker look on her face. "I'm afraid "the whole engagement thing" is no longer an issue. You were humiliated in fair combat by a male near your own age, and then you even came here in an attempt to pool your allies against him." Shampoo's eyes grew wider and wider as the matriarch continued. "This, along with your repeated refusal to wed Shampoo leaves me little choice but to anull the engagement."

Shampoo looked horrified; she jumped foreward, practically screaming at Cologne in Chinese. No! Great-Grandmother, the tradition! Cologne was outraged by Shampoo's emotional outburst. I have decided that the interests of the tribe are at stake, she snapped angrily. Now go attend to the resteraunt!

Shampoo started to say something else, but stopped herself, knowing all it would earn her a walking stick upside her head. She backed off for now, but glared insolently at the Elder, inwardly swearing that she was not going to let this go. She turned and marched into the kitchen, throwing a glance at Ranma over her shoulder, before she was out of sight.

Ranma had a shocked look on his face as well, but there was also a lot of suspicion. "I don't get it, Cologne... I've been beaten before, and you've still been hell-bent on getting me to marry Shampoo. Why would you change your mind like like just based on the fact that this person you've never heard of has managed to beat me once?"

Cologne was silent for a long moment. She was more than a little impressed that Ranma saw through her; he hadn't proven himself very perceptive in the past. She would never admit it, but the reason behind her decision was because she did know more than she was letting on. She had heard of a person calling himself Byako taking part in a few particularly brutal slayings all over the eastern hemisphere, from Hong Kong to the Middle East and beyond. She wasn't entirely sure if this was the same person, but she also knew she really couldn't afford to find out the hard way. Shampoo would undoubtedly be killed if the stories she had heard were true and this was Byakko, and then Mousse would swear vengeance, and die as well, two of the best warriors their tribe had produced in generations would be gone, needlessly. She looked behind her to make sure Shampoo was out of sight and leaned a little closer to Ranma, looking him dead in the eye. "Listen, whoever this person is, if he can so easily defeat you, he's dangerous. And if Shampoo tried to attack someone that dangerous..." She narrowed her eyes and let the sentence hang, praying he would read between the lines so she wouldn't have to do something drastic.

Ranma started to speak, but fell silent, catching the ulterior meaning in her words. He looked at her for a moment, then nodded, standing up from his seat slowly. "Yeah, I understand." He suddenly had the urge to laugh_. _'_At least now I've got one less fiancée to worry about_...' Something about how slim his chances had just become somehow managed to keep that urge in check. '_No Shampoo, no Mousse, no Cologne, that leaves me and Ryoga, and that's if Byako doesn't just kill me when I step outside_...' He turned and headed for the door.

Cologne sighed and called after him. "I'm sorry, Ranma. Really, I am."

He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Me too," he said bluntly, then walked out the door.

Shampoo came back out with a cleaning rag, watching him walk away. When he was out of sight she turned back to Cologne, narrowing her eyes. She was nowhere near as dopey as her accent made her sound at times, and she knew her Elder was up to something.

Cologne got up from the table and went into the kitchen, staring her great granddaughter down as she passed. She fought the urge to curse out loud; losing the engagement was bad, no doubt, but lately she wasn't so sure it wasn't already lost anyway. She had known for a while now how unlikely Ranma was to choose Shampoo over Akane, but still hadn't been ready to admit defeat. She fixed the next order that was ready and set it on the counter, noting that Shampoo was still glaring. Cologne sighed wearily and went back into the kitchen; that girl was going to get herself in trouble if she wasn't careful...

Shampoo shook her head and picked up the bowl in a huff and turned away, looking for the guy from earlier. '_Great,' _she thought to herself. _'More flirting from Mr. Educated...' _Even as she thought it, she couldn't help but scoff bitterly; it wasn't like she was seeing somebody else, thanks to her Great Grandmother. But as she walked over to the table he had been sitting in, she was puzzled to find it abandoned, the only sign of his an empty teacup and a ten thousand yen note. She cocked her head and picked up the money, remembering Ranma's description of his enemy. Her eyes widened as she guessed the truth.

* * *

AN: Right, sorry about the delay, life has a few little speed bumps... and three car pile-ups. Still, glad to be back at it. I like the reveiws, let's me know if I should throw away my keyboard or not, so keep 'em comin'. Hope you enjoy, hasta luego por ahora.


	6. From Bad to Worse

* * *

AN- ::cricket chirps.:: Whoops, almost forgot about this thing. Sorry to everybody who likes to read this stuff, all twelve of you. ::snicker, then bursts into tears.:: God I suck... Well, I need a hobby that doesn't involve shamelessly breaking the law, so I'm gonna keep at it. Hope you enjoy though. 

Chapter 6: From Bad to Worse

* * *

Going without food was not all that new to Hiroki; in his younger days he could go for days on end without eating in relative comfort. But going into a resteraunt, being tempted with nice aromas and pretty waitresses, placing an order, then having to duck out? That, by contrast, was pissing him off in ways unimaginable. He growled aloud as he stalked down the sidewalk, not putting much thought towards his destination. Part of him knew it was all most likely just rotten timing, that he had accidentally picked a resteraunt that Ranma frequented, and there was really no one to blame. The rest of him wanted to go kill the son-of-a-bitch right now and raid his fridge after he was done. 

He sighed, trying to force his irrational anger in check. He had a lot of trouble doing so though, mainly because it wasn't just the run-in with Saotome that had him so upset. His specific orders were to kill all members of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, including any and all blood relatives. But the situation had become much more complicated because of today. Technically speaking, he could concievably have to kill Shampoo, the old woman, and any other fiancées any of the other members of the Anything Goes School had, in addition to their immediate families. He scowled and shook his head, eyes on the sidewalk as he walked. Besting Saotome and the rest of his martial arts _ryu_ in a fight was one thing, but mowing down a few city blocks worth of civilians was bound to grab some attention, even if he could manage to make it look like an accident. No doubt he would have to contact his superiors and ask for clarified orders. His scowl deepened at that particular thought; to call for any other reason than to report total and complete success was unwise, but far less so than breaking out his M60, stealing a car, and lighting up half the townsfolk without permission.

His stomach gave a loud growl and he whinced, giving one last longing look back at the Nekohanten. 'Wonderful... so much for lunch.' He felt his anger starting to rise again, and he turned away, forcing himself to forget about it and find somewhere else to eat. Though not before making a mental note to hit Ranma a little harder than he had originally planned when his day finally came.

* * *

In another resteraunt a short distance away, Ukyo finished telling a certain lost boy whom she'd found wondering around outside about the recent events. 

Ryoga sat back on the seat he was in, shaking his head. "Wow, that Ranma really knows how to upset people, doesn't he? But who'd have thought somebody would actually pay to have him killed? Hey, what about that kendoist, the one everybody hates? I bet it was him that hired this Byako guy..."

Ukyo just rolled her eyes, picking up a tray and wiping it clean with a rag. "Ryoga, honey, did you miss the part where he beat the crap out of Kuno and snapped his arm?"

"Oh, yeah..." He shrugged. "Well, whoever it is, I'm sure Ranma can take care of himself. And if not, I can help him out." He waved his hand non-chalantly, like he really didn't care either way.

Ukyo raised her brow and smirked for a moment, then set the plate down, speaking as casually as she could. "I did mention that this guy wants to kill Akane too, didn't I? That got his attention; he sat straight up, leaning over the bar. "Gee, I guess I didn't, sorry about that."

He looked at her like she was crazy. "I don't believe it, why would anybody want to kill Akane?! She's never done anything to anybody!" He slammed a fist down on the counter, splintering the wood.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Do you mind?" She lifted his hand and looked at the damage. "Geez Ryoga!"

He pulled his hand away and frowned, even though he seemed to have calmed down a bit. "Sorry. Now, where can I find this Byako?"

She looked at him a moment, then leaned forward, over the bar and looking him in the eyes. "Listen, no offense, but if he can beat Ranma, it's a pretty safe bet he can take you, too. We all need to hold off until he makes his move, and then we can gang up on him."

He turned away rolling his eyes. "I don't need any help from-" He was cut off suddenly by the sound of the door shutting. A young man with short black hair and mottled blue-gold eyes was standing there, looking a little awkward. "Um, is this place open?"

* * *

Hiroki looked around the inside of the resteraunt, silently wondering if he shouldn't just give up on the conept of lunch and just starve until dinner. Whatever he had just walked in on, it was probably going to be way more aggravation than it was worth. The boy with the yellow bandana was looking pretty moody, and the smashed-in spot on the bar made him wonder if the guy was robbing the place. He cleared his throat, trying to sound as non-combative as possible. "Is, uh... everything okay?" 

The girl wearing the apron peered at him scrutinizingly for a moment, then nodded, gesturing to the rest of the resteraunt lobby. "Sure, have a seat, I'll be with you in a second." She then grabbed the other guy and dragged him into the back, leaving Hiroki to blink and shake his head silently, sitting down in a booth near a window, just in case he got any more surprises today. He gave a slow sigh and let his shoulders slump. He was getting a little tired, and more than a little hungry; he really hoped he wouldn't have any more coming to him.

* * *

Ukyo litterly had to force Ryoga into the kitchen, out of sight and earshot. Finally he shook free, looking at her like she was nuts. "What, what is it?" 

She didn't answer; she was busy peeking arond the corner at their new customer. She mentally compared him to the description of Ranma's assailant and gulped, turning back around. "Uh, I think that's him..."

Ryoga frowned, still confused. "Who, what are you-" He broke of, putting two and two together. A moment later he was heading around the corner, already opening his mouth to issue a challenge.

Ukyo grabbed him by the bandana and pulled hard, choking him a little and hauling him back out of sight. "Will you calm down for a minute?! You're gonna get someone killed! Probably us!"

He jerked free again, glaring. "Wait for what, for him to attack Akane?" He cocked his head a little, and came as close to using psychology as he probably ever had before. "Besides, what about what he did to Ranma? Are you really willing to just let that slide?"

She scowled. "Not a chance. But I don't want to go out in a blaze of glory either, lost-boy. Besides, insurance is bad enough around here..." She looked around the corner once again, only to almost collide with Konatsu.

Judging by his slightly paled expression, the cross-dressing ninja had obviously come to the same conclusion as Ukyo. He pointed out to the lobby and was obviously about to ask her if he was right.

Ukyo beat him to it, nodding. "Yeah hun, I think that's him." She leaned around carefully and looked to Byako, thinking. He didn't look like he suspected anything. Yet...

Ryoga was obviously running out of patience. "Well? What are we going to do?

She frowned, then slowly nodded. "Actually, I think I'm getting a pretty good idea. Ryoga, you stay here. Konatsu, go take him a menu.

Konatsu looked at her skeptically. "You're joking..." She shook her head, pushing him around the corner. "Just do it, will ya? And don't be suspicious." He grabbed a menu and started out, looking like he was marching to death row.

"And smile, for heaven's sake!" she hissed after him. Konatsu's mouth split in a nervous grimace. It would have been funny, if he wasn't mentally going over every single horror story he had ever heard about "The White Tiger". He forced himself to calm down and walked over to the young man's table, handing him a menu, smiling as amiably as possible. "Sorry that took so long, what can I get you?"

Hiroki took the menu and glanced over it, frowning a little. He didn't often eat okonomiyaki. "How about some mushroom okonomiyaki and some tea please." Konatsu gave a slight bow and headed back to the kitchen, handing the little notepad to Ukyo.

She looked at it and nodded. "Right. Take him his drink, and I'll take care of everything else."

Ryoga gave her an impatient look. "What, we're gonna feed him now?" She went into the back and came back a moment later with a small black bottle bearing the skull-and-crossbones on the label. She looked at it with a little fear, but with absolutely no hesitation in her eyes or voice. "Precisely, my dear lost boy..."

* * *

A.N.- I was gonna make this chapter longer, but I thought it might get a little excessive, so I halved it. That and I wanted to hurry up and get out a chapter, so you guys will know I'm back at it. Seriously, I'm really sorry about the complete neglection of this fanfic, but I completely lost my motivation, and without that, the story would hae turned to crap anyhow. Please keep reading, and I'll keep writing. Hasta luego. 


	7. Unbreakable

A.N.-I have no excuse. All I can say is, I never really knew how horrible writer's block really is. Sorry it took so long for the update, please keep reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, or any other bits and pieces of other copyrighted material that may find its way into this fanfiction.

Chapter Eight: Unbreakable

Hiroki glanced towards the kitchen and gave a slight frown, tapping his fingers on the table softly. He would have much preferred the taste of ramen. Nevermind that he had just used about half of his supplied cash funds.The hotel bill was covered by credit line, but without any real money he'd have to steal a car to get back home, and he hadn't seen that many in the immediate area. He leaned back a little in his chair and fought off the urge to yawn. 'Of course, hunger does makes the best spice,' he thought to himself, his frown growing a little deeper. 'Maybe that's why they're taking so damn long...'

Finally, the waitress who had taken his order came walking over to his table carrying a plate. She smiled at him amiably, but this time he noticed how forced it was. He raised an eyebrow at her, trading his frown for a cold indifferencial stare. It served a duel purpose; both to properly admonish her because he had been kept waiting too long, and also, when he saw her unease become outright fear, to warn him that his instincts were, as usual, correct. She was up to something. He gave a nod of his head, and she about-faced and practically ran back to the kitchen. He watched her go, calculating his next few moves. It wouldn't do to sit and eat if the police were on their way, But the only reason the waitress could possibly have to fear him was that she recognized him, which should've been an impossibility. The only way she could know exactly what he looked like-

He suddenly grinned ferociously; Saotome.The boyhad been here, and all here had been warned to look for him. The grin slipped into a thoughtful smirk, and he looked down at his food. He picked up his fork and cut off a small bite, lifting it to his nose. He sniffed carefuly, then lowered the fork slowly, his good mood gone in an instant. Strychnine. His food had been laced with strychnine. Had he taken more then a couple of bites, he would've suffered a horrible death, spasming and vomiting violently. He knew that for a fact; he had used the stuff for just that purpose in the past. And on top of that, the food, which he had even been willing to pay for, was inedible. He inhaled deeply through his nose, trying to control the anger now coursing through him. It was irrational, he knew, and maybe just a little bit unhealthy, but damn if the fact that he had been cheated out of another meal didn't royally piss him off.

He let out the breath that he didn't realize he had been holding for a solid two minutes. He drummed his fingers on the table again, as if doing so calmed him, then erased the expression of anger from his face, picking up his fork and smiling contentedly, already getting ideas. He cut into the ruined meal as though looking for something, then cleared his throat, smiling and calling out in a slightly raised voice. "Um, excuse me, miss?

The waitress slowly came back out looking like she was about to be sick. Hiroki had to fight to keep the friendly smile in place. "Yes, may I see the cook for a moment please?"

She blinked, then nodded and slowly turned and disappeared. A few moments later, the girl with the apron from before stepped out, walking over to his table and stopping in front of it. He realized instantly that this was the girl who had tried to poison him. And she'd cheerfully serve him an arsenic-filled dessert without batting an eyelash. She looked a little wary, but not afraid. He would have to change that for her. "Is there something wrong, sir?" The slight pause on the "sir" was the only giveaway, she kept her expression impressively neutral.

He closed his eyes and nodded, opening them again with a wry smirk. "Well, I'm not sure. You see, I'm no expert on okonomiyaki, but I think there is something missing from this dish."

She blinked, genuinly confused now. "Huh? What do you mean, what's missing?"

He gave a chuckle and shrugged, leaning back and raising his hand diplomatically. "Hey, I'm not trying to nitpick here, it just tastes a little funny, that's all..." He pushed the plate towards her, the only hint of danger was a sudden gleam in his eyes. "Here, try a bite."

He had to give her credit, she was quick on the pickup. She froze for a split second, then nodded, quickly turning back for the kitchen. "I'll go get a fork." But he wasn't fooled either; he snatched out and caught her by the wrist, pulling her gently, but forcefully into the seat across from him, handing her the fork in his hand and smiling politly. "I didn't eat off of this one, go ahead."

She looked to the fork, to the food, suddenly unable to help but be afraid. He grinned as he saw her brave mask crumble, and as she glanced up at his face, her fear only increased as she saw his friendly one do the same. He put on a cruel smirk and nodded to the food, and she bit her lip, looking back down.

He decided not not continue the charade, leaning a little over the table and taking the fork out of her hands. He set it aside, but didn't lean back. Instead, he spoke in a rather conversational tone, his expression going a little sympathetic. "Did Ranma tell you to poison me?"

She looked up at him, obviously a little unsure of what to say. "No," she finally answered evenly. He rested his head on his hand, as if intrigued, raising an eyebrow. "So you thought that up on your own, huh? Took the initiative?" He gave a little chuckle. "I find that kinda impressive, actually...Just in that, myself aside, very few young people have the capacity for cold-blooded murder."

She swallowed hard, glancing around for a second. "Um...thank you?"

He gave an amazingly good-natured laugh, and laughed even harder when he saw her sudden look of hope. Surely this cute, nice looking kid maybe a year older than her isn't a brutal murderer here to kill her friends, right? He finally choked down the laughter, wiping his forehead and still chuckling. "Oh, that was funny... Seriously though, do you lovehim or something?"

She actually blushed, in spite of the situation. "What! Why do you ask?"

This only set of another round of hilarious laughter from him. Finally, he choked it down long enough to speak the words. "Oh, it's just that he seems to be seriously attracted to some girl that I'm here after. I just wanted to know if it was her I'm about to kill. Is it?" Watching her turn pale nearly set him off laughing again, but he forced it off, realizing it was rather cruel to keep her hopes up.

She suddenly seemed to be having trouble breathing, but she for some reason seemed compelled to answer his question. She looked up, suddenly a little tearful,but not just from the fact that she was about to die. "Ranma cares about me a lot, and it would really hurt him for you to kill me." Her eyes fell, her shoulder slightly slumped. "But no, it isn't me he loves..." She paused for a long moment, then looked up and glared at him defiantly. "So I'm afraid that little plan is shot, sorry about that! You're just gonna have to find some other way to torment him!"

He looked at her passively, like her little speech hadn't really impressed him. "But you love him though. Right?"

She rolled her eyes, then sighed, giving a weak laugh. "Yeah, I do. Or did. Yeah, I still love him..." She even gave a smile, albeit it was a little on the wry side.

He smiled knowingly, nodding and suddenly looking old beyond his years. It was his eyes, for just a moment they seemed so aged and weathered. "I'll bet you feel a lot better after saying that out loud, huh?" She nodded, still smiling, apparently trying her best to get herself nastalgic. He lashed out without warning, slapping the plate off the table and shattering it with a crash all over the wall.

She shrieked in surprised fear, falling out of her seat and struggling to get away, to escape him. He stood silently, his eyes and expression cold and brutal. "Don't look so shocked; You have obliged me to do what I'm going to have to do to you, I'm afraid I can't let something like this go unanswered..."

Suddenly, the boy from before came around the corner, taking one look and then charging towards them, murder in his eyes. Hiroki lashed out, catching the girl by the neck and pulling her to him. The boy with the yellow bandana froze, caught between his instant hatred for him and his concern for the girl he held. Hiroki smirked, knowing he could kill the girl in about twelve different ways before he could get more than a step.

The girl froze herself, but that was just sheer common sense. She looked to the bandana guy frantically, clearly panicking. Then she did something that surprised him; she glanced between the boy and a chair near him a couple of times, obviously trying to get some signal across. Hiroki almost scoffed aloud; what he did do was squeeze her neck a little tighter and glare at the boy. "Don't even think about it..."

Bandana Boy gnashed his teeth, and Hiroki noticed with a little surprise thatthe guy had a set of fangs not unlike his own. He gave no outward expression, but cocked his head slightly. "So,where do we go from here? I admit, I aim to kill all of you, so I don't know why I don't just go ahead and start with her..." He tightened he grip as though taking his own advice, and the girl gave a choked gasp for breath, with out much success.

The boy jerked like he'd been slapped, then advanced another few steps before he could stop himself. "Stop it, let her go! Now!"

Hiroki smirked; now that had struck a nerve. He released the girl enough that so she could breathe and eyed the bandana-clad martial artist. He really didn't want to kill this girl without at least giving him a fair chance to save her, but he also didn't really know how to go about picking a fight from here, short of snapping her cute little neck.

Suddenly, while his attention was turned, he got his wish. The girl whipped up a chair that had been in reach the whole time, swinging with surprising speed and strength, cracking him full in the face. He let go, taking a single staggering step back and clutching his face in an instinctual reaction. He dropped his hands the instant he realized his mistake, but just a litte too late. He lowered his hands just in time to catch a haymaker right to the jaw.

* * *

The psychotic assasin went flying straight back from Ryoga's massive swing, going right through the front window and out into the street.Ukyo stumbled back and rubbed at her throat, looking a little short of breath. 

Ryoga cast a glance outside and looked to her, concern replacing the anger on his features. "Are you okay?"

She gave him a faint smirk and a thumbs-up, and he smiled for a moment. Then he popped his knuckles and walked calmly to the door, everything fading from his face but a cold frown. He stepped out and looked for his fallen enemy.

The boy was already on his feet with his back turned, but he turned to face Ryoga as he approached. The strange new warrior gave an ice-cold grin, wiping away a little blood from a split lip and inhaling deeply as if to settle himself. "Alright, now let's see you do that again," he spoke in a calm voice, but also with a steely undertone; he didn't seem very impressed by Ryoga's blow.

Ryoga didn't even break stride, nor bother with an answer. He just came charging, fist cocked back to do just that. He swung hard, but he wasn't as stupid as this guy obviosly believed him to be. He tucked his arm instead of swinging it and spun his whole body with the momentum, turning it into a powerful reverse thrust kick.

The boy wasn't fooled though, and shifted his body to the side, clearing the kick. Ryoga followed up with a reverse left elbow jab, but his opponent dodged his head back and right again, making a short hop to take him out of his immediate range.

Ryoga gave a harsh scoff and charged again, again swinging with his fists as soon as he was within striking distance. And once again the boy dodged back and right, though this time he lunged in return, responding with a flurry of hand strikes, all launched with blinding speed, and every one hitting him in the face.

He flinched as each blow struck him, but then almost laughed out loud. This guy was fast, no doubt, but he couldn't hit for shit. He stepped back and grinned at his opponent, suddenly feeling a surge of pride. "I'm a little shocked that somebody like you could beat Ranma. How embarassing..."

The young warrior just smiled coldly, then turned and crouched, leaping clear over Ukyo's, disappearing over the rooftop. Ryoga immediately took off after him, but couldn't make it all the way over, pausing on the roof before jumping off in pursuit. "Stand and fight, bastard!"

* * *

Hiroki moved fast, but not nearly as fast as he could've, making sure the young idiot didn't lose sight of him. He would've found this situation funny, had he not just been cheated out of another meal and been called a coward by a moron with absolutely no sense of style, in combat or otherwise.

He smirked as he ran, scanning the terrain in front of him. If his memory served him correctly, there would be a building being constructed a klick or two in the direction he was running. With luck, there would be enough room for him to have a little fun with the young, brave fool.

* * *

Ryoga chased after the assassin he knew as Byako, running as fast as he could but still not gaining ground. He growled and tried to run even faster, refusing to let his enemy slip away. He followed him through another block over the rooftops, scowling when he saw where they seemed to be headed. The construction site of a new building, an apartment complex by the look of it. It was partly finished, but still didn't look one-hundred percent completed.

Suddenly, Byako poured on even more speed, taking a single huge leap and doubled the distance between them, even though by now it didn't really matter; he was clearly headed for that construction site. Ryoga frowned as he leaped from the roof he was on and landed on the ground, running the rest of the way there. He slowed, coming around the side of the building, looking around warily.

There he was, standing there calmly in in the middle of the space right behind the building, a brick wall about eight meters to his right. Ryoga stopped in front of him, just out of arm's reach. He was pissed off, but he still felt pretty good about this fight, about how nice it would be to rub this in Ranma's face later. "Well, I really appreciate you not running any more. Any last words?"

The scrawny little punk just gave a nasty smile and got into a loose defensive stance. "Certainly; try not to bleed on me..."

Ryoga balled up his fists and lunged, taking a massive right hook at his face, throwing all his weight and muscle into it. Had it connected, it would have shattered bone. Instead, Byako simply ducked under it and swung a right hook of his own. Or more precisely, three, all in rapid succession.

To Ryoga the first two felt more like slaps than actual punches, but the last blow had a little more power behind it. Not enough to do much more than piss him off, but still a bit harder than before. He shot out with a left jab, then came foreward and swung an elbow shot with his right.

Byako jerked his head left and got around the jab easily, but the elbow cracked him full in the side of his face. His head snapped back, and Ryoga was already about to start laughing, when he simply whipped completely around a caught him with a brutal reverse roundhouse, hitting him hard enough to loosen a few teeth on the left side of his face.

Ryoga staggered back, momentarily blinded by the blow. He held up his hands defensively, but no attack came. His vision cleared, and he was shocked to see Byako standing there with his hands down, a bemused expression on his face, though completely unmarked by the powerful blow except for a little red mark and a scratch. "Aw, did I disapoint you? I'll bet you just got excited as hell when I took those little pansy swings, didn't you?" Ryoga gulped involuntarily, unable to clearly grasp what had just happened.

The devilish martial artist just gave a shark's grin and popped his knuckles. "Well, no use dragging this out... I don't supppose you'd just stand still and let me kill you, would you?"

That snapped Ryoga out of his daze; he came at him with both fists raised, a mad rush. Finally, Byako made a rush of his own, closing the distance between them in an instant.

Suddenly he was way inside Ryoga's defenses, but before he could do anything to save himself, Byako lashed out with another flurry of blows, these all aimed at the bandana-clad fighter's ribcage. Once again all of them connected, but this time each one was a hammer-blow, driving the wind from his lungs with each strike.

He staggered back, clutching his midsection, but didn't get more than a step before Byako was all over him again, swinging a nasty combination of jabs and hooks, all boxing-style. Ryoga managed to duck a few, but for the most part he was being driven back, stunned by the sudden blend of speed and power. He couldn't believe how strong his opponent was, and had been all along, nor how easily he had fallen into the psychotic assassin's trap. He tried to swing back, but was instantly rewarded with another sharp jab to his face as Byako dodged around it and counter-attacked.

His opponent suddenly dropped his hands and began backing away, leering at him mockingly. "You gotta be kidding me! You are pathetic, man, did you know that? You got absolutely no skill, none! Why don't you just lay down and let me kick you instead?"

That did the trick; Ryoga grated his teeth and charged, balling his fists so hard his fingernails cut into his hand.Byako quickened his pace, but still going backwards, keeping him just out of his striking range, laughing at him as if to further enrage him. Which it did. Ryoga was running as fast as he could, swinging his arms wildly. "I'll kill you!"

Byako just gave a smirk and suddenly they were out of room, the wall mere feet from him. He tucked his feet and spun in mid-air, throwing his right leg against the wall and stopping himself, his left in a reverse thrust kick aimed at his face. Ryoga didn't even have time to slow down, much less block. He hit the ground hard, an odd ringing sound suddenly deafening him. He looked up and saw blue sky, but as though through a hazy tunnel, the edges a blackness he could practically feel growing. The blue slowly turned gray, and then there was nothing but black.

* * *

Hiroki looked down at the boy pitying, watching him lose conciousness. It was a hell of a fight he had put up, way too strong to stand and trade blows with. Had the boy been up to his level of speed, the outcome of the fight may have been very different. He thought over the idea of whether or not to finish him, then shrugged, realizing that in all truth, he didn't have much choice. He wouldn't likely stand still while Hiroki was going after the others, and he didn't really feel like going through the effort of securing a prisoner. He crouched beside the fanged martial artist and took him by the collar, lifting his head up off the concrete. "Sorry kid, nothing personal." He lifted a hand, open-palmed, preparing crush his head.

Suddenly, a high whistle hit his ear, and he whipped his hand up as if automatically. His fingers snapped closed on what appeared to be a small thowing weapon, with a flat blade tip though. He eyed it with curiosity for half a moment, then spun to face his attacker, dropping the unconcious warrior.

It was the girls from the resteraunt, both of them, now dressed for combat and carrying weapons. He cursed, mainly himself for leaving all his own weapons in his hotel room. The cook, the one that had smashed him in the face with the chair, pulled what looked like some kind of giant spatula from her back. He unconciously did a double-take, they watched her companion unsheathe a nice looking sword, dressed in a ninja _dogi, _complete witha face shroud. He gulped involuntarily, automatically fearing the worst. Encountering a _Kan-aku na_ ninja unarmed would be a bad situation, very bad. For the first time since he'd been in town, he assumed his real stance, not just a ruse to entice young fools into an attack. He narrowed his eyes and focused his_ chi_, preparing to move, move as very few could other than himself could.

The two of them seem to sense it, as they stopped as well. The cook was parctically shaking with anger, looking at the crumpled form of her friend and holding her weapon in front of threateningly. "You step back from him right now!" The ninja just crouched and held her sworddown near her waist, ready to strike, eyeing him coldly.

He returned the glare, but was beginning to doubt in the back of his mind. Even the most cautious of _Kan-aku na_ ninja would have jumped on an unarmed enemy by now. Whoever this girl was, she wasn't the average ninja. His eyes didn't flinch, his voice hard and sharp as he spoke. "_Aka i ninjustu_?"

Her eyes flickered in doubt, and suddenly he smiled evilly, relaxing his stance. She had no idea what he was talking about. He gave a low, malevelent chuckle, breaking into a dark, hollow laughter as hewatched them both begin to be afraid. The cook tried screaming at him again, only making him laugh harder. "Get back! Now!"

Finally, the ninja's nerve broke, and she swung in a fast, upward slice, left-to-right diagonally. He finally stopped laughing, jerking his body low and right, then going to a rising roundhouse kick with his left, deliberately right in front of her face to force her back. But rather than retreat back a step, she simply ducked and swung the blade back around for another strike, this one downward and right.

He went low and left, but this time he immediately stepped back a bit, frowning sharply. She was no true ninja, at least not of a sect he knew of, but she was dangerous none the less. He crouched, backflipped, and handsprung up onto the rooftop of the building, trying to ignore the shift he felt in it as he landed. She followed him in an instant, and assumed an attack stance. He stood straight up, shifting his body to the side, right foot forward. He gestured for her to approach, giving a cold smile. "Come...impress me..."

* * *

The inky black began to slowly fade back, and Ryoga found himself sitting up without meaning to, his head swimming. He could never recall his head aching so badly, and he seemed to have something in his mouth, blood by the taste of it. He spat it out, and recognized some tooth fragments in the pinkish-red puddle. He tried to look around, and suddenly found himself face-to-face with Ukyo. She was speaking, but still all he could hear wasthat ringing. He said her name, or at least he thought he did, though he wasn't sure since he didn't hear it.

She was waving a hand in front of his face, saying his name. He was trying to tell her to knock it off, that he was okay, but he didn't know what came out. The ringing slowly died down, and he could hear her at last, albeit barely. "-oga, can you hear me? Ryoga!

He clutched his head, able to clearly hear himself as well. "Yeah, I'm okay," he barked a little harshly. He opened his eyes again and the tunnel vision was mostly gone.

She rolled her eyes a little. "Well, I thought you were dead, okay?" She frowned obstinately, looking away from him. When she looked back he was gone, on his feet and walking towards the fight between Konatsu and Byako, looking up and watching them move. Konatsu faught very wisely, swinging the sword in fast, random combinations that kept Byako at bay, though not a single one could strike him, and he was clearly just trying to buy time.

Ukyo jumped up and came after him, trying to stop him. "Whoa, big fella! I think you've had enough, let's get out of here, letKonatsu wear him down and pull a Houdini on him, and then we'll be home free. Okay, Ryoga?" She looked to him, shaking him a little. "Ryoga?"

Ryoga's eyes seemed locked on the fight, and he couldn't turn away. Slowly, anger and shame began to eat at him, beggining to overwhelm him. The only thought that ran through his mind was, '_I failed. If I want to live I have to run away, like a coward. And let him attack Akane..._' A pale blue aura suddenly enveloped him, slowly growing thicker and thicker.

Ukyo recognized immediately what was happening and began to back away, shaking her head. "No, Ryoga! Just calm down, we have to go now!"

He barked a single word, his eyes locking on hers. "Go." She swallowed, moving hesitantly, but she finally realizedhe just wanted her out of the blast radius. She called upas she ran. "Konatsu, c'mon! We gotta go, now!"

The transvestite ninja cartwheeled off the edge and ran with her, abandoning the fight in an instant. Byako paused on the edge as though about to give chase, then stopped, looking down to Ryoga. He lept from the roof and landed a feet feet in front of the unmoving Ryoga, straightening and smiling coldly.

He stood there, shrouded by monstrously thick, icy blue aura, his head lowered. Those two words reverberated inside his head much more feircly than that accursed ringing had. '_I failed...I failed...'_ He raised his head, glaring at Byako with tears of anguish and hate in his eyes. "I failed!"

Byako was clearly puzzled. "You what?" He eyed Ryoga over, then his eyes suddenly widened." Soul of Ice? Impossible!"

Ryoga threw his head back and his arms up, screaming at the top of his lungs."_SHI-SHI-HOKODAN_!"

* * *

Hiroki stood stunned; all he could do was watch as an orb of unbelievable size rise into the air, the bright blue ball of _chi_ energy momentarily blocking out the sun, casting a strange, almost etheral light that covered all he could see for a moment. Then it began to descend, and all he could do is watch. Watch the ball of energy nearly bigger than the building he stood in front of come down, until at last, too late, he tried to run. And was crushed to the ground, screaming, as the burning light enveloped him, obscuring all that he saw and knew.

* * *

A.N.- Okay, I'm really sorry for how long that took, please don't be angry and not read my fanfic. I've been working at it like hell ever free moment since the writer's block lifted, so please forgive. Also, I swear I'm spacing this stuff right, I don't know if it's the servers or what, but my spacing gets screwed up every time I save, so it ain't me. And pardon the massive switch in length, it just kinda came to me like this... Hasta luego, more later. 


	8. Breaking Down

A.N.- ::takes a long pause to conduct his thoughts:: I remember so many times before when I would read a story, like the hell out of it and try to keep up with the updates, and then the author just quits writing for whatever reason and the story get fazed out. I used to hate that, and now I've gone and done the same damn thing. What can I say, except that I found my inspiration, lost it, and now I've found it once again. To those of you who still check on this from time to time, thank you, and I'm sorry. But I will finish this story. And I'll update as often as is humanly possible, which now, should be possible. As always, thank you again, and enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma, or any other bits and pieces of other copyrighted material that may find its way in this fanfiction.

Chapter Eight: Breaking Down

* * *

Ukyo stopped and watched as the massive Shishi Höködan ball rose into the sky, bigger than any she had ever seen Ryoga make before. It came down a lot faster too; it hovered high in the air for about a second, and then plummeted back to the ground, crushing the entire lot underneath it. It disintegrated in a harsh flash, and after a few moments, when all the dust settled, Ryoga was standing alone in a monstrously-sized crater, the only thing within about one-hundred-and-fifty square feet still standing and intact. Nothing remained of the half-finished building, or his opponent, Byakko.

Konatsu brought a hand down from covering his eyes and gawked, not bothering to hide his shock. "Wow... I didn't see him get out of there in time, did you?"

Ukyo shook her head slowly. "No, he got hit, I saw it." She laughed, holding a hand to her forehead. "He got him! I can't believe it!" She jumped down into the crater and started running towards Ryoga, shouting. "You got him!"

Ryoga himself seemed just as shocked, standing there with that same lifeless look he usually carried right after a big Shishi Höködan. His face was slowly lighting up as his victory dawned on him. "Huh, I did?"

Ukyo nearly knocked him over as she tackled him and gave him a tight hug. "That was amazing, I've never seen an attack like that, hun! You smashed him big-time!" She paused for a moment, wondering if she should bring it up. "Why, even Ranma couldn't beat this guy, I can't believe you beat him on the first go like that..." She beamed up at him with a happy smile. "I guess this proves who's the strongest around here..."

Ryoga still just stood there, apparently trying to come to grips with his victory. That move had been what he had thought to be his last act, before Byakko took him down. To be standing victorious, when he had expected to be beaten… "Did I really get him?" he asked rhetorically as he looked around the area, clearly not quite ready to celebrate. At least not until he saw a body, or remains.

Konatsu seemed a little skeptical as well, though he was trying his best to confirm Ryoga's victory, if for no other reason than he could relax himself. "I don't know, I'm pretty sure I saw him get hit, and I don't sense his battle aura any longer…"

Ukyo piped up again, still the voice of confidence. "Yeah, and there's not a rock or piece of rubble bigger than two feet across left, darlin', where else could he have gone?" She smiled again and gave Konatsu a light punch in the arm. "He's probably about five feet underneath all this junk. What are we gonna do, dig him up?"

He frowned and shook his head. "I don't know, it just seems a little convenient, that's all. To beat him with just one move…" He looked to Ryoga. "How about you, do you sense anything?"

Ryoga shook his head, still scanning the surrounding area for some trace of their enemy. "No, nothing. There was a real big spike in his chi right before the ball hit, and then nothing." He looked around for another few moments, and then gave a long, deep sigh, seeming to go a little limp with fatigue. "I think I got him…"

Ukyo grinned widely and started to speak, when a faint noise behind her caught her attention. She turned to look just in time to see a single pebble roll down an odd shaped lump of debris. She froze, dimly aware of two more sets of eyes behind her locking onto the same lump of broken and crushed rocks. For a moment, everything remained so silent that she thought she could even hear her friends breathing behind her. Then there came the unmistakable sound of someone inhaling sharply, as if to scream. Coming from behind them…

A short, feral war cry, slightly muffled by debris, sounded from underneath a rather large pile of destroyed lumber and concrete right behind them, and in the next second, the pile exploded violently in a wave of flames, as though someone had detonated a very large bomb. The force was tremendous; all three of them were sent flying, clean out of the crater. All three landed hard and braced themselves, expecting a wave of debris from the sheer magnitude of the explosion. But it never came.

One by one they lowered their hands and looked into the now-larger crater, but smoke obscured almost everything inside it. It was strange; there were a few pieces of debris here and there still aflame, but they could just barely make out the glow of something in the center burning differently, the flames burning a slightly different shade, and as though fed by something like natural gas, or kerosene. Ukyo summed it up for all of them by pointing and saying, "What the heck is that?"

Before either of them could speak, the smoke lifted as the forced by a strong gust of wind, and she had her answer. There stood Byakko, surrounded by an aura of crimson flames that seemed to burn in slow motion, and somehow didn't consume him. He was injured, that much was clear; his clothes were in tatters, his shirt hanging on by one shoulder, the other exposed and showing a nasty-looking scrape on his arm and chest, clean into the meat. Another such spot was on his forehead, just above his brow, blood trickling down his face. And yet in spite of all this, it was equally clear that he was nowhere near damaged enough for it to matter, in the long run. He just stood there, panting raggedly, glaring at them murderously, his teeth bared in hate.

Ukyo backed up and accidentally stepped on something, looking down and sighing in relief; somehow her fighting spatula had landed right behind her. She scooped it up and looked back to the other two. "So, what do we do?"

Konatsu blinked at her, then hefted his sword, looking to Ryoga. "Yeah, what do we-" he broke off when he saw the look on his face.

Ryoga looked like he had just been gut-kicked; he was building up depression again, focusing himself on how he had failed to finish his opponent with his last attack. Of how if they couldn't stop Byakko, every person he knew was going to have to face the same fate as they were about to. He thrust both hands forward, stepping closer to the edge so he'd be sure his friends would be clear of the blast. "Shishi-Höködan!"

Again, the bright blue ball of chi formed, but this time it only got about a fourth as big before it launched, streaming an energy trail behind it like a tail. It seemed to catch Byakko by surprise as well; it took him about the same amount of time to look surprised as it did for the energy wave to hit him. He took it full in the chest and was carried back, the flames around him dying as he flew straight into the edge of the crater, widening it even further.

Ukyo and Konatsu's jaws both dropped. "Damn, honey! That's two for two," Ukyo finally managed. Konatsu just nodded meekly. "Yeah, I wonder if this guy is the real Byakko. He doesn't even have the sword or anything…" He seemed to ponder the matter for several moments, then smirked, visible even through his mask. "He's a fake. A good one, but a fake none the less."

The dust cleared, and Byakko was flat out on his back, his clothing even more trashed; the same as him, by the looks of it. He groaned and tensed like he was going to try to move, and then just went limp again. Ryoga just stood there, arms still up. He was absolutely itching to blast him again, by the looks of it, and cheerfully awaiting provocation to do so. Ukyo looked at him for a moment, then back to Konatsu. "C'mon, let's go." They jumped down into the crater and began running towards the other side, slowing when they got about halfway so they could move in carefully.

Ryoga winced a little and yelled after them, arms still raised. "Hey, just get back here and let me hit him with another one, don't go near him!" Ukyo rolled her eyes and looked at him over her shoulder. "Would you relax, he looks like he's barely breathing over here…" No sooner than the words were out of her mouth, she saw Konatsu's eyes widen as they focused on something right in front of her. She spun her head back around just in time to catch a glimpse of something deceptively huge, looming in front of her. Then Byakko swung his arm with the momentum of his leap and clotheslined her straight across the torso, lifting her up and sending her flying back, rolling across the ground like a rag doll. He stood there poised, ignoring the girl he'd just attacked completely and glaring death at Konatsu, his lips drawn back in a vicious expression of fury.

Konatsu froze at first in shock, but lunged the instant it wore off. He charged forward and went right for the kill, right-to-left crescent cut. Even more surprising, his enemy made no move to save himself. The transvestite ninja felt time seem to slow down, as if he could register every instant. He felt a flash of grim satisfaction as his sword passed the point beyond his opponent could conceivably evade.

But suddenly, everything sped back up, and his sword was brought to a sudden, jolting halt. He blinked once automatically, but then did so again when he saw the result of his attack, his eyes widening in sheer disbelief. Byakko had a single hand wrapped around the middle of Konatsu's sword, every muscle in his arm as taunt as steel wire. His expression hadn't changed in the slightest, and his closeness now only served to make him all the more frightening, to say nothing of the freakish way he had just stopped the sword attack. He shifted his wrist and forced Konatsu even closer, ignoring the bite of the blade even as blood trickled down the sword, until they were nose-to-nose. Byakko leaned forward, cracked his jaws, and somehow gave a long, bestial growl from deep in his chest, a sound like no normal human should have been able to make.

For some reason, instead of terrifying him further, this new deviltry seemed to numb Konatsu's senses a bit; more importantly, his fear as well. He blinked passively, and then got right up in his face, their noses touching. "Well, alrighty then bright eyes, we'll play it your way…" he said softly, almost whispering. Then he jerked straight down on the sword as hard as he could, the blade grinding a little when it hit the bone of his hand.

Byakko threw his head back and clutched the wound, the scream of pain he issued sounding more like a roar of outrage. Blood poured from the wound, gushing all over what was left of his clothes. He looked to Konatsu as the ninja backed away and assumed a ready defense position, and he squeezed his hand shut tightly, lessening the flow of blood slightly. The vicious assassin raised his fist, and narrowed his eyes. The air around him began to shimmer, like heat waves, and Konatsu sensed his battle aura increase considerably. The flames reappeared, and seemed to burn even brighter than before, licking the air around the unnatural martial artist in slow-motion.

Konatsu stayed back, edging even further away, trying to read his opponent's style as best as he could. Byakko's attacks seemed to all take advantage of his speed and power, but none of them had lasted for more than a second. If he could only dodge his initial attack, the obviously-deranged fool would likely leave himself wide open again for the ninja to capitalize. He tensed his muscles, watching the aura around his opponent thicken and burn even brighter, the flames seeming to quicken in their dance. Konatsu narrowed his eyes and held his breath. 'Any second now…' he whispered in his mind, his reflexes strained to their maximum as he waited.

Once again, time seemed to slow for the ninja. The fiery chi seemed to contract against Byakko's body, as if being focused or channeled; he suddenly vanished from sight, and Konatsu felt the air right behind heat up and shift like there was a presence there. He threw himself to the ground hard, just as an arm whipped past his face as Byakko missed his second attempt at the move he had used to strike Ukyo down. Konatsu's hand slipped inside his _dogi_, and came out in a fast blur, whipping towards Byakko before the ninja had even hit the ground. The visibly surprised assassin caught the _shaken _aimed at his heart lightly between his fingers, but his face suddenly changed, going blank as he felt the sting of the weapon he had missed. He reached down and plucked the small throwing spine, like an oversized sewing needle with a shaped tail, out of the side of his hip, holding it up as if inspecting it. Konatsu didn't move, imagining the thoughts running through his enemy's mind; 'Why so little a weapon? Why such pitiful accuracy?'

Byakko frowned and let it fall the ground, eyes hardening again. "Poison," he spoke in a low growl, making it sound like more of a statement than a question.

Konatsu gave a small smirk. "Curare." He got to his feet, edging back a bit as he did, waiting and watching for the effects of the poison to begin. The smirk died however, as his opponent began to chuckle malevolently, his eyes alight with a cruel humor. "The arsenic the girl tried to use would have worked better, but it wouldn't have brought me down either. Or cyanide, or _doku _either, in case you were wondering…" He lightly twirled the _shaken _through his fingers as he spoke, ominously holding onto it, unlike the poisoned spine on the ground. "Not that I would expect a pitiful little neophyte such as yourself to have any knowledge of such things."

Konatsu swallowed hard and backed away, trying to control his fear, as he had been taught to. But he couldn't. The warrior he faced was the real Byakko, and whoever or whatever he really was, he apparently couldn't be killed by poison or blade. And that meant he was fresh out of ideas as to what he could do to live through this little encounter.

Byakko stopped fidgeting with the throwing star and held it between his first fingers, bringing it up and waving it slowly under his nose. "Hmm, didn't poison this one, did you, little ninja?" His grin faded, his eyes hardening until they looked like they were made of glass, the golden rings circling his inner irises gleaming like hot coals. "Maybe you should have…"

Konatsu only had a moment to ponder the statement, before his enemy flicked his hand sharply and the weapon stuck deep into his left shoulder, imbedding into the bone with a nauseating jolt of pain. He cried out and grabbed at his wound with right arm, as his other went limp as though dead. He tried to pull the four-sided _shaken_ from his shoulder, but it was stuck too solidly, the agonizing attempt nearly making him fall to his knees.

Byakko calmly stepped within striking range, his face a mask of cold fury. "You and your friends have caused me entirely too much aggravation to let you go now. All I wanted was lunch; the irony is sickening when you stop and think about it…" He stopped his approach and gave a faint smirk, one that didn't even touch his eyes. Then he lunged forward and caught him by the throat, lifting him off his feet easily, his other hand casually reaching up and ripping the weapon from its wound with a violent twist.

Even despite the stranglehold on him, the cry forced its way out of Konatsu's throat as a wave of pain hit him hard enough to nearly make him pass out. Byakko cocked his head to one side, as though intrigued by the sound. He lifted the _shaken_ to his nose and sniffed, doing so carefully for several seconds. Then he got a rather amused look on his face and looked at him again, lowering him a little and loosening his grip enough to let him breathe. The crazed, unnatural assassin looked him dead in the eye, cracked a grin, and said, "Man, I'm sorry, but why the fuck are you dressed up like a girl?"

Konatsu's jaw dropped, for a moment too shocked, and indeed, too embarrassed to really say anything. He continued to gawk for several long moments, and then opened his mouth to ask him how he knew. The sentence died in his throat, however, when Byakko whipped up his free hand and smashed him with a quick hook, just under his cheekbone. There was a bright starburst of color in his eyes, and suddenly all he could hear was a high-pitched whine that seemed to block out everything else, all but his heartbeat, which he could practically feel in his temples. He tried to shake off the cobwebs and raise his hands to defend himself, but now it seemed neither one of his arms worked. He blinked hard several times, and his enemy's voice became audible again. "-not like I'm a bigot or anything. Seriously, people have the right to do whatever makes them happy; I'm a firm believer of that." Konatsu realized with a slight jolt he had been talking the whole time, smiling cheerfully as though he were speaking to a close friend, rather than someone he'd just cracked in the face. He grinned even wider, and lifted the shell-shocked ninja a little higher, slowly cocking back his fist. "But, now I that know you're a guy, I can't help but feel a little more comfortable with the concept of mashing up your pretty little face." Byakko gave an almost apologetic smile, and slight shrug. "So..." The fist blurred, and once again Konatsu saw a blinding flash of color. This time, however, it was merely a prelude to the complete darkness that would overtake all his senses as his mind shut down from the force of the blow.

* * *

Hiroki let the unconscious warrior collapse to the ground and frowned. "Man, what the hell is it with this town anyway?" This wasn't the first cross-dressing combatant he'd ever fought against, but was certainly the most skilled, at least from a martial artist's perspective. '_To say nothing of the most convincing_...' he thought with an inward smirk. Until he'd caught a good whiff of the ninja's blood, he'd honestly not had a clue. He chuckled aloud at the concept of being so fooled; much less if he'd had made the mistake of underestimating "her" because she was a female. He let the chuckle die off as he started to turn, eyes already scanning. '_Now, time to deal with that other_-' The fist connected high up on his jawbone right in mid-thought, so hard and unexpected he stumbled back and fell gracelessly onto his butt, badly dazed.

It was Bandana Boy, and at least to Hiroki he looked awfully pissed off, considering the fact none of his friends had been killed yet. The enraged boy drew back his foot and went to kick him with what looked like about as much muscle as he could put behind it. From his position on the ground, he couldn't really do anything about it except to cover his face so it wouldn't mess him up too awful badly. And thusly, he was caught completely unaware yet again as the boy's foot struck him just below the diaphragm, the kick so powerful it lifted him up and sent him back about fifteen feet, and about ten feet into the air. He landed absolutely gracelessly, rolling right off his feet and onto his side. He tried to force his lungs to work and failed, the choking, gagging sensation of having the wind knocked out of him proving to be an unbeatable enemy. He finally managed to breath in and coughed raggedly, forcing himself to roll over to face his opponent; and instantly wished he hadn't. He had rolled over just in time to catch the fanged warrior's next kick directly in the face. He jerked reflexively, turning what very well could've been a fatal blow to the bridge of his nose, into an agonizing shot right to the undamaged side of his face. This time, all he felt was a fiery wave of pain that felt more like some kind of horrible burn than a blow to the head. He actually managed to roll this blow off a bit, and come up neatly onto his feet, albeit with his back turned to his enemy. He clenched his teeth and he clutched at his face, feeling a moderate stream of blood running down his face from where the boy's shoe had ripped into his skin. _'No doubt about it; this dude is definitely a little pissed at me,' _he thought to himself almost bemusingly, in a strange way becoming disconnected from the pain.

He heard footsteps coming up from behind and whirled, trying to take back control of the situation before Bandana Boy could work him over any worse. Yet the blood in his eyes obscured his vision enough that he had to hesitate a split-second before striking out, and it turned out to be an instant too long. Hiroki's fist smacked hard against the fanged warrior's palm as he caught the punch, his rage evident on his face. "What's the matter? Don't you do so hot against real men who don't have their backs turned?" He punctuated the statement with a nasty left hook, one he was still a little too dazed to dodge. He took it square in the jaw and half-stepped, half-staggered backwards, finding himself completely unable to focus. He didn't even bother trying to fend off his opponent's next attack, a straight right punch, letting it smash him right in the nose. He landed about ten feet away, flat on his back. His opponent just stood there a moment breathing hard, his one fang showing as he readied himself for the next assault.

Hiroki lay there for a full five seconds, forcing himself to disconnect from his body completely, to find his balance. Yet as soon as his body relaxed and his mind entered what should have been the cold, perfect focus of the Soul of Ice, he found he could feel only one single emotion; anger. The most complete, terrible, bloodthirsty rage he had ever known filled him, took control of every fiber of his soul, every muscle in his body. His eyes snapped open, and he sat straight up, stiff as a board.

Bandanda Boy took one look at him and swallowed hard, tensing almost invisibly. Almost. Hiroki didn't bother getting to his feet gracefully; he simply put a fist to the ground and hauled himself up. He stood there for a long moment, glaring at his hated enemy, his mind stuck on some twisted loop of destruction. Every expletive in every language he knew screamed in his ears, and yet, his inner voice was as clear as a bell, instructing him and guiding him as if it were the voice of his own father, to whom the voice sounded suspiciously similar. _'Look at him, the filthy little coward...just look at him! He's an animal, prey! He deserves no pity, only death!'_ He had already been breathing hard, but now he panted as though he were dying. His chest heaved so fiercely he was rocking back and forth, and his lips twitched as though he was muttering, slowly drawing back tightly in a vicious expression of blood lust.

His opponent took a half step back and Hiroki's mind suddenly shrieked internally at him loud enough to make him actually jump. _'You see his fear? Can you smell it?! He's nothing, he's prey! Kill him, tear him apart and smash him to pieces! Destroy him! KILL!!!'_ As if in nothing short of compliance to the command, he lunged at his enemy with a low snarling sound, his chi flaring without a conscious thought as he charged. He moved faster than he could ever remember, and actually overshot his target by about a foot when the boy side-stepped at just the right moment. But he corrected almost instantaneously, sliding another two feet, then throwing himself back and right, managing to convert the maneuver into a reverse-elbow stab. He caught him right below the sternum, then immediately followed up with another; this one from the opposite angle and this one aimed at the face.

Bandana Boy took both blows well, not being overly damaged by either of them; however both also succeeded in their purposes, being both to slow him down and put him on the defensive. Before he could recover, Hiroki spun hard, pivoting his upper body laterally to gain momentum, and threw everything he had behind a right palm thrust, right in the pit of the boy's abdomen. He flew back light he'd been hit by a train, but even when he stopped sliding about twenty paces back he, incredibly, was still on his feet. Hiroki could only stare for a moment, then burst into a fresh rage and attacked anew, while his enemy was hurt and vulnerable. The bandana-clad warrior wrapped his arms and tucked his face as though to stand there and take his attack head on, but then suddenly swung with surprising speed and strength a massive reverse-hammerblow, timed almost perfectly. But not enough so to actually connect, as he just managed to duck just under it, so close he heard it whistle as it tore its way through the air. He tucked close to the ground and launched himself full speed into a flying deadmans's headbutt, catching the other guy right in the forehead with the very top of his head, and sending both of them flying pretty well senseless. But it was Hiroki who managed to land on all fours (after bouncing off the ground once) and rise to his feet, though a little shakily. He stumbled for a moment, then spun with an almost comical grunt, looking around for his opponent, finally finding him on his back a few feet away. He gave an evil chuckle and started forward, then stopped dead in his tracks as the boy on the ground began to rise, sitting up jerkily like he had suddenly forgotten he was supposed to lie down and be unconscious.

At the sight of this, Hiroki saw red. He wasted no more talk, no more time trying to simply inflict pain; now he simply wanted see his enemy go limp and stop breathing. He pounced on Bandana Boy before he could manage to get to his feet, crashing into him from behind and coiling his right arm around his neck, the other snapping up against his wrist to lock the chokehold. And then he began to squeeze, the crook of his right arm tightening painfully around the other fighter's throat, cutting off his breathing and the blood supply to his brain.

Bandana Boy took great exception to this treatment, bucking hard in the first few seconds and clawing for his tormenter's face to try and dislodge him. But as time wore on, achingly slow, his efforts began to weaken more and more as his body began to shut down from oxygen deprivation. One of his hands found Hiroki's face and went for his eyes, but he put a stop to that with one good headbutt to the back of his head. He locked his arms even tighter and bent his head down a little, hissing in the dying martial artists ear, "That's it, just give in… it's better not to fight, it's too hard and you can't win… just go to sleep, boy…" The bandana wearing warrior gave one last shudder, and then suddenly went limp, ceasing all his struggles. Hiroki grinned madly, relinquishing his hold just a little, tensing his muscles and preparing to administer the final touch, to snap his neck so he could be sure the thick-headed fool would stay down for good. Then the boy snapped his head hard to the side, catching him in his still-grinning mouth, right in the teeth.

Training was training, but pain was still pain, and Hiroki could not help but clap both hands to his face and make the same unintelligible sounds that pretty much anyone makes when they get bashed unexpectedly in the chops. Then the other boy threw all his weight backwards and caught him with yet another reverse headbutt, again right in his face. Then he was on his feet, apparently adopting the same attitude that had just been raised against him; the fight's over, time to kill the other guy. He began kicking and stomping wildly, as hard as he could, determined not to let his opponent get to his feet again.

And for the next few seconds, he seemed to be doing a wonderful job of it. Hiroki was flat on his back, and capable of doing little more than lying there and absorbing punishment, trying both to get back up and fend off the next blow at the same time; and having little success at either. He was kicked and bludgeoned against the concrete and rubble-strewn ground more for longer than he could really conceive, and then he caught a lucky break when the other fighter paused and stepped back, obviously close to exhausting himself. The boy stood there panting a moment, gathering his strength, then gave a short hop and brought his right foot up high, looking to end the fight with one last good stomp on his head.

And thus made a terrible mistake in misjudging the awareness of his opponent, and in putting all his strength in such a straight-forward move. Hiroki spun on his back, lashed out with a kick, and caught him in the back of his other foot, sending him completely off balance. The boy landed clumsily on his side, and immediately scrambled to get up, but it was too late; a knee crunching into his right kidney made him well aware of that. He was forced over on his back, and then the true torment began, as Hiroki jammed his other knee into the back of his enemy's neck to immobilize him, and his eyes began to scan all on their own for which vulnerable spot to attack first.

* * *

It was the screams that snapped her back into consciousness. They were completely unfamiliar to her, but she could swear she recognized the voice issuing them. Ukyo lay still for another moment, drifting between unconscious and awake, pondering the sounds. Then she opened her eyes and sat up, saw the source of the noise, and instantly had her answer. Ryoga was facedown in the dirt, with Byakko on top of him. The psychotic-looking warrior had his one hand jammed into the back of his ribcage, spread wide so that his fingers were like claws. She watched, in horror, as the tip of each finger dug into his flesh, right up to the first knuckle joint on each one. The cries of pain intensified as blood began to seep from each wound, and Ryoga suddenly tried to swing an elbow at his assailant. But the other boy was too quick, and the blow too off-balanced. He seized him just above the elbow joint with his free hand and began to give it the same treatment, digging his fingers mercilessly into the bone.

Even in the grip of such an effective hold, Ryoga was still trying to fight back. He twisted as hard as he could, trying to force his way free, cursing at him hoarsely. "You bastard, you let go of me for one second and I'll kill you!" Then Byakko slammed his face back into the ground with his knee, jerked his trapped arm backwards, and dug his hold in even harder; the pop of his bones separating was audible even from where she was sitting. He gave a scream she didn't even think he could make, or had ever made before. It jarred her right down to her soul, that sound. She was on her feet before she knew it, running as fast as she could towards them. Byakko seemed to not see her coming, intent only on his terrible work. She drew three of her throwing spatulas, got just a little closer so she could be sure she would miss Ryoga, then hurled them at their vicious opponent, who looked up just as she released them. He managed to get an arm up and block the one aimed at his face, but all three stuck into him; one at the back of his forearm, one in his right shoulder, and one in chest, apparently lodged between two of his ribs.

He made absolutely no sound. He simply released Ryoga and stood up, his eyes burning right through her. She swallowed hard, feeling for her fighting spatula to no avail; it was still lying back where she had landed the first time. As if on cue, her muscles began to ache from their earlier abuse. She began to back away, raising her fists in a defensive stance. "Now listen up, I don't know who you think you are…" Her forced bravado died completely as he began to walk towards her, calmly and slowly, as if they had all the time in the world. She suddenly felt like somebody was pouring sand down her throat. "Please, what do you want from us? Why are you trying to kill us?" Her voice had begun to shake, and she cursed herself inwardly, ceasing her retreat and standing firm. "Alright, damn it, I'm warning you!" She glared at him and waited for him to step into range.

It wasn't a long wait; he slowed only momentarily to pluck two of the blades from his body, seemingly with an air of curiosity. He seemed not to notice the one buried in his shoulder, for he ignored it completely and continued his relentless march. The moment he reached her she swung a sharp left hook, but when it connected, his head didn't move a fraction; it probably hurt her hand more the his face. She gaped and stepped back unconsciously, looking at her fist in disbelief. "What?" Then he lashed out and caught her by the neck with his right hand, and lifted her off the ground as through she weighed nothing.

She was close to him now, bare feet from him. And now that she could get close-up look at his face, she found herself more frightened then ever. His expression was nearly blank, but there was still something there, something she was sure she'd see before somehow. She latched both hands onto his wrist and tried to force his hand loose, but he didn't budge an inch. He drew her closer in as if to get a better look at her, and she involuntarily shuddered. He seemed to notice, for his expression suddenly changed; his mouth sort of fell open, and he cocked his head hard to one side. And it was then she noticed, as if for the first time, his eyes. Eyes from which the blue hue around the out iris had vanished, now dominated only by a blazing gold that seemed to glow as though lit from within. Eyes that scanned her whole body blankly, then focused with a horrible intensity, right on her exposed throat. And then she noticed his fangs as well, also as if for the first time. And the realization hit her suddenly of how it was his expression had looked familiar; it was the same look that a cat would give to a mouse, or a wolf would give to a sheep. And then she began to scream herself, also in ways she had never had, nor ever thought possible.

* * *

Ranma slid open the _shoji_ and stepped into the Tendou residence, feeling more or less worse than when he had left. The N_ekohanten _had been a bust, there was still no sign of Happosai, and to top it all off he had completely skipped lunch. He had thought about going by_ Uk-chan's _again, if nothing else just to grab some chow, but had ultimately decided against it, figuring that if Byakko really was watching him, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to give him any more potential targets. He sighed and took off his shoes. "Hey everybody, I'm back." When nobody answered him right away, he felt a sudden knot of dread in his belly. But then Akane called out to him "In here," from around the corner, and relaxed a little, though he instantely wondered what was wrong; Akane had sounded a little upset, or something.

He rounded the corner and felt his dread return, a thousand fold. She was standing there, her face drained of any color, one hand covering her open mouth. The other hand held a phone to her ear. She swallowed hard, turned to face him, and held out the receiver. "It's Konatsu," she said in quiet voice that only served to increase his fear. He took it from her and put it to his ear, his throat suddenly dry beyond belief. "Hello?"

If Konatsu was as ragged as he sounded, than Ranma figured he probably had a few new reasons to worry. "Hey, listen carefully, okay? Do you know where the Nerima District Medical Center is?"

He swallowed and nodded, even though it was a useless gesture for somebody talking into a telephone. "Yeah, the hospital on the north side of town, right?" There was a couple of seconds pause before the reply came. "Yeah, that's the one. I think you better get down here right away."

Ranma could only numbly think, _'Oh, I wonder why I need to go to the hospital_?' He finally managed to get his brain functional for a moment. "Who is it? Is it Ukyo? Is she-"

Konatsu cut him of softly, but descisively. "She's alive. Ryoga was there too, when he-" He trailed off for a moment, then shakily continued. "Just get down here, okay? She needs you right now..."

Ranma could only stand there stupidly for a long moment, trying to process everything. "Wait, what about Ryoga?" But his only answer was the click of the line going dead. He looked down at the phone for a long moment, then slowly hung it up. Akane looked at him fearfully, as if he were about to deliver her some news too terrible to hear. He turned away, unable to maintain eye contact. "What did he tell you?"

She moved a little closer, as though for protection. "Just that they had been attacked; he, Ryoga, and Ukyo, attacked by Byakko..." She felt her anxiety grow at the look in his eyes as he raised them to meet hers. "But he didn't say whether or not Ryoga was alive?" He spoke so softly she could barely hear him. She could only shake her head, apparently afraid the word "no" would sound a little too final.

He was lost in thought for several seconds, torn between relief that his childhood friend was still alive, and the fear that one of his newer friends, rival for Akane's affections though he may be, was not. Finally he sighed and leaned back against the wall, "I-uh, I need to go to the hospital. I need to see, you know... how bad..." He trailed off, just shaking his head and slowly began to turn away and shuffle towards the door.

Akane knew that when it came to figuring out what people were thinking, she was not the best in the world. But after having the Saotome's living in her home for over almost two years, she was beginning to at least figure out Ranma. And she knew that right now, he was as confused and worried as she'd ever seen him. "Ranma!" She had started forward and said his name without meaning to, feeling the need to say something, do something to comfort him. But as soon as she had, she suddenly felt unbelievably awkward, as though she hadn't meant to say anything at all.

He stopped and turned to her, looking equally surprised. "What is it, Akane?" Her only reply was to look to him for a long moment, and for a while it seemed they content to just look at one another. Then she sighed and walked over to her shoes, bending down and putting them on. "I'm going with you," she said, her tone leaving no room for bargaining or argument. He opened his mouth as though to protest, but he seemed to have no strength for it at the moment, so he finally just sighed and nodded. "Sure, Akane. Let's go." He slid open the door and waited for her, then shut it behind them as they walked away, together.

* * *

A.N.- Okay, if any of that last chapter seemed a little weird, it's because about half of it got written about two years ago, then I came back about a month ago and finished. Thanks so much again to everyone who reviewed, and stay tuned. 


	9. A Sudden Slip

A.N.- Okay...I'm more than at a loss for words, can't even begin to tell you the kind of last few monthsI've had, right? Yeah, I know; boo-hoo, get over it, write more. Well guys and girls, I'm not looking for a sympathy vote, or any crap like that when I confess this, butI figure the least I can do for anybody out there that still remembers this pen name is to be completely honest. My kid brother, who actually wasn't a kid, but had just turned 18, died a little while back. His name was Travis. He was a fiery, but very compassionate young man, and he is and evermore will be missed. Never Forgotten. And I don't want this to turn into some kind of half-assed sermon, but he was killed in an automobile accident. And he was a fantastic driver, one of the bestI've ever seen, ever since he was 14, and even so, here we sit. Everybody out there with nice cars and what-have-you, listen up, and listen good; I know it feels good to go fast, and raise hell, and hear the engine. I know how it feels, but it just ain't worth it. You can never be good enough, not enough to outwit plain, everyday bad luck. Shit happens. If it happens to happen while you're flying along, guess what? Your loved ones get to all gather 'round, cry, and try there best to limp on in this life without you. Often without great success. So, please, have your fun, but never forget how someone who loves you would feel when they get that phone call, and have to come down to the hospital and see you, see that you're gone forever. It just isn't worth it. My brother was a great driver. He was killed by his own love for speed, and his refusal to believe in bad luck. Don't make the same mistake.

And that's why I haven't posted in a while.

* * *

Chapter Nine: A Sudden Slip

Ranma shook his head and turned away from Ryoga, and the hospital bed he occupied, cursing under his breath and balling up his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white. "I can't believe this… I just can't believe this crap…" He walked out of the room and started down the hall towards the elevator, growing angrier and angrier by the second. He quickened his pace, wanting to get out of the hospital as quickly as he could, before he did or said something he'd regret later.

"Ranma, wait!" Akane called after him as he stormed away, earning a stern glance from an elderly but rather intimidating nurse. She blushed and stopped yelling, but still took off running to catch up with him. She barely made it, slipping inside the elevator just before the doors slid closed. There was no one else in it but the two of them. "Will you just wait a second?"

He just scowled and turned away, not even close to wanting to be reasoned with or placated; all he really wanted at this point was revenge. "Wait for what? For that…" He broke off a moment, obviously unable to come up with a curse word strong enough. Several moments passed before he continued. "For that _lunatic_to get enthusiastic one day, and you and I can come home to a house full of corpses!" He made a violent slashing gesture. "Huh-uh! Forget about it, Akane!" He came closer, his eyes flashing dangerously, and for a moment he could tell he was scaring her, even though he continued ranting. "I'm going to find that guy, that Byakko… I'm going to find him, and I swear I'm gonna-"

She cut him off by grabbing both of his arms and pushing him back against the wall, a little harder than she meant to. He was so surprised he didn't give even a hint of resistance, just open-mouthed shock. "That's enough, Ranma!" She just looked into his eyes for a long moment, as though looking for some sense of reason to return. Finally she released him and stepped back a little. "That's enough, already…" To be completely honest with herself, she was just as angry as he was with the whole situation. She was angry, and more than a little scared. She had never, not once in all the time she had known him, ever seen Ryoga in such bad shape. The doctor had told her that he had taken one look at him felt almost positive he would be dead within a matter of hours. Of course, that had been sometime last night, over twenty four hours ago. Fortunately, trying to judge someone as tough as Ryoga by a normal person's standards wasn't overly realistic. He had even regained consciousness for a few minutes that morning, though he had been asleep ever since. She swallowed hard, thinking about the things he had told her and Ranma, what little he could remember from the fight. And then there was Ukyo… "What we need to do right now is go to Ukyo," she said in a much quieter voice, "and see how she's holding up."

He paled and leaned back against the wall, bringing a hand up and running it down his face, sighing heavily. "Yeah, ain't that the truth…" He shuddered, remembering his uncertainty and outright shock at his earlier encounter with his childhood friend. He closed his eyes, half-unwillingly reliving the entire episode in his mind…

_He had heard her screaming from behind a closed door before he was even ten steps from it, and immediately knew he was not going to enjoy the next few minutes. The young intern beside him gulped visibly and gestured towards the door, clearly not wanting to go into the room with him. He turned and spoke haltingly to Akane, completely unsure of what to do. "Listen, why don't you wait out here for a second, she might be in rough shape…" She looked like was about to object when Ukyo screeched in a voice full of such fear and hate that it took several moments just to recognize it. "Don't you touch me, you bastard! I mean it, I'll kill you!" Akane paled and nodded to him, praying that she wasn't in there about to hurt herself, or anybody else._

_Ranma wasted no more words, walking past the nervous-looking intern and into the room, closing the door behind him. He suddenly found himself very glad he had done so, because if he hadn't had the door to fall back against, he would have probably hit the floor. There she was, brandishing a scalpel she had gotten from God-knows-where, eyeing the poor nurse who had only been trying to draw blood from her like he was a demon straight from Hell. The said nurse was backed up against the far wall, obviously trying to get as far away as he could from the crazy girl with the knife. The instant she saw Ranma though, she changed completely. The scalpel clattered to the ground, her face fell, and she suddenly looked for all the world like a lost and frightened little girl. "Ranma!" She was in his arms before he could utter a sound, bursting into tears and holding so tightly he thought she might literally break his already damaged ribs. "Uk-chan?" was all he could manage, completely clueless as to what he should say or do. So had simply let her exhaust herself crying against his chest, and gradually she began to calm down. The nurse, for his part, made not a sound, not wanting to bring the hateful attention back down on himself in the slightest. Ranma too had to begun to relax, and started patting her on the shoulders softly, and just generally being as encouraging as possible. "It's okay, Uch-chan, I promise everything will be okay…" He had spoken gently, not wanting to upset her. "Don't worry about anything, you're safe now." He clenched his jaw and felt his anger beginning to rise. "Don't you worry about that jerk that attacked you; I'll find him and teach him a lesson for you." _

_With a suddenness that was downright scary, she had exploded all over again, shoving him roughly against the door and grabbing him by the collar, with a strength that was fueled by sheer, nearly-hysterical terror. "No!" she had screamed, right in his face, her eyes so wide they had seemed to nearly pop from her skull. "You can't fight him, Ranma! You have to run away!"_

_He had been so surprised he had actually laughed, staring in disbelief. "What?" She just stared back at him, shaking her head slowly as if he were the one acting insane. "You can't beat him Ranma. There's absolutely no way." She had seen he was about to scoff and say something tough, and she became even more emphatic, shaking him hard with each syllable. "You don't get it, Ranma! He's a monster! There's no way you can take him, because he's not evena human! He's a thing, an animal, a monster, okay? Do you get it now!" He had looked at her skeptically, responding more than a little haltingly. "Ukyo, what in the world are you-" She had slammed him hard against the door, so hard it had hurt. "Don't you understand me! A monster!" He could only stare at her, too bewildered to even nod his head. All he could do was look into her panicked, dangerous-looking eyes as they bored into his, searching for some sign that he understood what she was trying to tell him. Then he had noticed the nurse over her shoulder, desperately trying to get his attention by waving, holding a syringe in his free hand. When he saw he had his attention he had mouthed the words, "Hold her," and pantomimed sticking the needle into her from behind. Ranma had been torn for what seemed like an eternity, though it was actually only about three seconds. He had nodded to Ukyo, relaxing himself as best as he could, and hid the turmoil that had now taken root in his mind. "It's okay, Ukyo, I get it now…" He had smiled so convincingly, and held out his arms as if for her to embrace him again. And or course, she had, letting go of his shirt and hugging himonce more. And like a professional dart thrower, the nurse had moved in, inserted the hypo in the back of her upper hip, pumped the whole syringe full of tranquilizer into her, and pulled the needle back out before she had even had time to jerk away. She couldn't have even if she had tried however; which of course she did. Ranma held onto her tightly as she bucked and shrieked, trying to twist away from the sudden and unexpected pain. Just as the drugs kicked and she began to lose consciousness, she had looked up at him with a look of pure betrayal, as though he'd just broken her heart. Then her eyes had clouded over and she had begun to slide to the floor, only for him to catch her and lift her up, setting her down on an examination table on the other side of the room. And then he had backed away, numb from all he had just seen and heard, and stumbled out the door._

Akane had mercifully not asked him any questions, though he had filled her in later. At least, he had told her everything he thought she needed to hear, omitting one or two details so as not to embarrass Ukyo. He shuddered again as the elevator came to a stop, gave a cheerful-sounding electronic "bing", and the doors slid open. He hesitated, rubbing at his forehead as he tried to forget for now all the questions tearing at his mind. '_What could she have seen that would do that to her? And if he's so evil, so terrible, why is either she or Ryoga even still alive?'_

* * *

Hiroki sat alone in his hotel room with all the lights off, just sitting on the edge of the bed and not moving. He was trying to meditate, or at least do as little actual thinking as he could get away with. And he was failing miserably. His whole body ached, and he had no more money for alcohol, or anything stronger for that matter. Even worse, if he stayed too awful much longer at this hotel, he might end up having to duck out on the bill. _'Great,' _he thought to himself. _'One more identity blown…' _It was bad tactics to travel about with an ID that had any sort of heat on it, for any one wrong question from the authorities could be fatal. Or at least, inconveniencing. This lesson and many more were drilled into his head so deeply they could never be forgotten, even if he tried. And sometimes, truly, he did.

But none of his training had ever prepared him for any sort of moral questions or self-misgivings; there was no right and wrong, only duty, power, and above all else, victory. And that was what he had been brought up to believe his whole life. But he knew now that it wasn't true, that there was much more to life than that. He had seen good men, brave, honorable men, betrayed and slaughtered. He had seen evil men laugh in the faces of helpless victims, and then watched as they were calmly executed. He had been a party to both evils and a hundred more, each worse than the last. But nothing like he had experienced the other day, with those friends of Saotome. He sighed at the memory, wishing it and a thousand more had never come to pass.

_He suddenly found himself in a strange place in his own mind. Everywhere he looked was dark and shadowed, and the only thing he could see was the creature at his feet. What was it? A deer? A goat? Perhaps a helpless little piggie? He reached down and dug his claws_wait, claws? _into its back, listening to it squeal in pain and loving it, feeling himself fill with a dull, primitive joy. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to reach down and take its head between his paws (_no, wait...they're hands) _and twist it and pull on it until it came off, with that lovely little crunch! Suddenly, he heard something, and went to smack at what he thought was a bug. Then he was quite sure it was a bug, because something had stung him, in a couple of different places. He stood up and looked hard, and suddenly he could see something else. It was a female, whatever it was, this he was instantly sure of. And suddenly he knew that it was her who had stung him. He began towards her, reaching up and plucking out the stingers (_metal stingers?) _that were still in him, somehow. He looked at them quizzically for a moment, and then dropped them carelessly, suddenly remembering the female, who was backing away, her fear so strong he could smell it from five paces. He got a little more interested now, his pulse slowing a little with anticipation. He began towards her again slowly, not caring if she tried to run, for if she did, he would simply catch her, and probably enjoy the chase. She suddenly swung at him, but it was really just a love tap and she had no claws, it seemed. He reached out and plucked her off the ground in what would have been a gentle fashion for him, albeit by the neck. She struggled and made funny sounds, and then his eyes found it; the spot. He focused his gaze on the exposed side of her throat, and found he could practically see the veins pumping blood through her body, moving ever so slightly with each beat of her heart, which he would swear he could almost hear, if he listened hard enough. She seemed to take exception to this, and began to shriek quite animatedly. He growled and squeezed harder, and the noise stopped, although her struggles to free herself became even more frantic. He was happy about that, but it soon became boring; he did not want to simply see her stop moving, as though going to sleep. No, he wanted to do it __himself. (_what?)_He brought her closer, bringing his other hand up to grasp her head and hold it still. He tilted her head back and sniffed, inhaling her scent. Her mind was now nearly gone from fear, and it made it all the more enticing, the way her eyes locked onto his with a blind, yet somehow familiar panic. (_No, something's wrong. This is wrong.) _He leaned close, so close he could feel his own breath off her skin, making her shudder violently in his grasp. It triggered something in him, and suddenly all of his senses felt like they were overloading; he could feel every variation of the wind against his skin, he felt the rising need to sink his teeth into her flesh becoming overpowering, too much to control. He pulled her into a twisted facsimile of an embrace and opened his jaws wide- And suddenly, reality itself had seemed to shift. Memories flashed around him so powerfully it was as though he were actually physically reliving each one. _

_He stopped and stood stock still, trying to make sense of the images. One moment he was dragging someone though a muddy field, his side on fire, his ears ringing, and his nose clogged by the scent of gunpowder and smoke. He could hear someoneThe next, he was embracing that same person like they were his brother or sister, standing in a huge room with many other people, all of them familiar. He felt a sudden flush of paternal pride, like he was proud of this person he was hugging, convinced that he had raised her properly. (_my sister?) _Then, suddenly, he was with a different girl, in a different room. And this was very obviously not his sister. She was in his arms, and he lifted her up like she weighed nothing, sitting down on her bed with her in his lap. He kissed her down the side of her neck, her breath in his ear making him tremble slightly, a warmth and excitement filling him completely, till he thought his chest would burst. (_I was wrong, we never should have-)_And suddenly, they were in the middle of a street somewhere, with her still in his arms. But something was wrong, she was there but she wasn't breathing anymore, and suddenly everything dropped away. It was as though his very soul had vanished, all the warmth and happiness and pride he'd felt before were evaporating into nothing, leaving him with the coldest, most desolate sensation he'd ever experienced. And the last thing he heard was the echo of a voice, barely above a whisper, "Hiro…"_

And then he had opened his eyes, and had come to his senses. He had been holding an unconscious girl he barely knew by the neck, her bandana-wearing friend was laying on his face a few feet away, twitching, and their transvestite ninja friend was starting to get up. He had dropped the girl numbly, thought it over for about two seconds, then turned and ran away, as quickly as possible. He had ran for what had seemed like hours, feeling every second as though there was something right on his heels, keeping pace with him and slowly catching up. Finally, he had thought he had felt its breath on the back of his neck, and he snapped. He had spun with a terrible war cry and swung what would been a crushing blow with the back of his fist, but there had been nothing there. All he had managed to take out was the corner wall of somebody's home. He had looked and looked, but there had been nothing behind him the whole time. He had felt a flush of shame at his paranoid delusion, and left the scene before the owner of the house could step out and berate him, or call the police. He had ran the whole way back to his hotel room, bandaged himself up as best he could, and had been trying to meditate ever since. He gave a deep sigh and bowed his head, beginning his breathing process all over again. He let his mind wander for a moment, and then he forced all his mental images and thoughts into an imaginary flame, in his mind's eye. He felt his body relax, and slowed his breathing even more. When all his thoughts were gone he let the flame itself die out, and found himself floating in a great, black void. '_Be you as nothing, Hiroki,' _the words of one of his teachers, an older man of Indian descent, filtered softly through his mind. '_Become one with all that is, and even nothingness itself.' _He felt his chi begin to lighten, spreading further and further from the center of his body, until he found he could practically feel the lives of the other people in the rooms closest to his. He let his mental guard relax a bit more, and the instant he did, a single image came flashing into his mind; that girl, the cook, looking at him with eyes bugged out in terror, looking at him and screaming as though he were the Devil himself, come up from Hell to take her life. His calm shattered, his focus broke, and he opened his eyes, already on his feet and pacing the room with anger growing in his heart. He reared back his fist, nearly overcome with the urge to hit something, to break something, then dropped his hand helplessly, knowing his every action was making him less and less in control of his emotions. He ran a hand through his coarse hair and sighed, sitting back down on the bed. '_Damn it_,' his inner voice spoke, sounding more like a weak plea than his usual strong, cold self. '_Remember your lessons_!_You are a weapon. There is no pain, because you do not feel. There are no questions, for you have only one purpose. You cannot die, because you do not live.' _He lifted his head and sighed again, giving up on meditation for tonight, seeing that it was hopeless. He laughed bitterly as he heard his father's voice resonate within his mind, repeating his very first commands as though he were standing there, in his father's private sanctuary, over ten years ago. '_You are Byakko, my ultimate vengeance against my enemies. You are a weapon. There is no pain, because you do not feel…' _He laid back in bed, suddenly fatigued beyond all imagination, those words ringing in his ears. No pain, huh? Oh, how he wished that were true…

* * *

Ranma and Akane had barely reached the front desk when a red light began flashing angrily from an electrical panel on the wall, with several listings beside it. The words beside the light read "Psychiatric Ward", and Ranma immediately felt that familiar lump of dread in his stomach return with a vengeance. He wasted no word, taking off and running full speed towards the last place he had seen his friend, with Akane right behind. They reached the heavy-looking door just after about four security guards, all of whom turned on the pair of teenagers suspiciously when they came running up. "Hey, hold it right there," one of them cried, barring the door. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Ranma balled up his fist and started forward, getting good and ready to show them what trouble reallywas, when Akane stepped in front of him and began explaining the situation, as quickly as possible. "We have a friend here, Ukyo Kounji. Is she all right?" She spoke in a remarkably calm voice, considering she was using all her strength just to keep Ranma at bay, who seemed to be letting himself be pacified, at least for the moment.

The guards all blinked and looked at each other, seeming to relax a little. The lead guard spoke up. "The younger girl, the one who attacked a nurse earlier with a scalpel?" It was Ranma who answered with a soft, "Yes." The older man shook his head and gestured to the doorhelplessly. "We've just had an escape, and we're pretty sure it's her, though how she un-medicated herself, unlocked all her restraints, and just climbed out the window is the source of a lot of confusion right now…" The man's expression grew a little suspicious. "You two don't know anything about that, do you?"

This statement took the fight right out of the pig-tailed warrior, and it was up to Akane to lead him away as he just stood there, dazed. "No, we don't," she remarked heatedly. "Why don't you guys go find out the truth behind the whole thing, huh? You dowork here, right?" She shot one last scowl at them and led Ranma away, trying to calm him down. "Look, Ranma-"

He interrupted her suddenly by breaking free and taking off running again, this time for the exit doors. She did her best to keep up, but he was out the door and out of sight before she had even reached the front desk. "Ranma, wait!" She followed him outside and looked around frantically, beginning to get truly afraid now, when she saw him simply standing there, looking up at the dark, moonless sky. She stopped and walked up behind him slowly, feeling more uncertain and worried than she could ever remember feeling. "Ranma?"

He just stood there, clenching his fists helplessly, and slowly shaking his head, as though trying to wake himself from a bad dream. "It was him. I just know it…" He began to pace, turning away from her as she neared him. "He came back for her, to finish her. All because of me, and that stupid engagement…" He put his hands over his forehead and slowly dragged them down his face. "Damn it! What the hell am I supposed to do now? How are we gonna find them?"

Akane bit her lower lip nervously as she tried to think of something to say. "Ranma… none of this…" She was interrupted by a new voice from behind them. "I don't know Ranma, you could try looking for her at her house," Konatsu said rather cheerfully, albeit obviously a little forced. He held an unconscious Ukyo in his arms. "It may take a about ten or twenty minutes to get her home, but yeah, she'll be there." He laughed a little at the bewildered look on Ranma's face. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just honestly thought it would be better for her to just wake up in a familiar place, nice and quiet, no doctors, or sedatives, or anything like that."

Ranma shook his head again and sighed, looking so relieved he seemed like he was about to fall over. "Damn it, Konatsu, Do you think ya could've…" He trailed off when he got a good look at the side of the other guy's, who looked very much like a girl's, face. He had a massive shiner on the left eye, complete with a big, black knot just under the same eye to go with it. He looked like he'd come off the bad end of a fight, all right. Akane noticed at about the same moment. "Oh no, your eye! Gosh, that's looks awful, have you had it looked at?" Ranma gave her a raised eyebrow; she was Kasumi's little sister, no doubt. He cleared his throat and spoke a little quietly, not wanting to bring any attention to other fighter's obvious injury. He subconsciously touched his own eye, glad it looked so much better. "Yeah, I wasn't going to say anything, but it doesn't look very good. You seein' okay through that thing?" Konatsu cleared his own throat and gave a little shrug, looking uncomfortable. "Yeah, I'm fine." Now it was Akane's turn to roll her eyes, knowing good and well neither of them were going evenacknowledge the other's pain if they could at all help it.. '_Men…'_

The battered transvestite ninja hefted his unconscious burden a little, though she might as well have weighed nothing, for all the difference it made to him. "Sorry if I scared anybody, but I just couldn't stand the thought of her waking up strapped down to a hospital bed…" He cleared his throat and smiled down at her a little. "It probably wouldn't have been a very good thing for whoever happened to be standing around when she finally came to, for that matter."

Ranma found himself remembering the look on her face as she advanced on that poor fellow from earlier with a surgical scalpel in her hand, shuddering a little. "Yeah, you're probably right about that…" A cool wind suddenly blew, and they all shivered a little, though it had little to do with the cold. He grinned, wondering if she would be in a better frame of mind when she awoke. "By the way, you might want to make sure there's nothing sharp or heavy near the bed when she wakes up, she might not be in the best of moods."

The laden ninja just blinked, having no idea what to say, until he saw Ranma laughing. Then he too grinned, nodding. "Thanks for the heads-up. I'll make sure to hide all her kitchenware until I'm sure it's safe." The joke wasn't that funny, but it still served to get them both laughing.

"Why don't ya hide her's too, while you're at it," The pig-tailed boy's mouth was yet again about to cause him bodily harm, as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Akane and choked out between laughter. "It might never be safe to dig them back up though!" Konatsu stopped laughing immediately, and winced slightly. "Wow, that was not too bright…"

Ranma too stopped laughing and blinked. "Huh? Whaddya mean?" He turned around to look at the damage he'd done and fought back the urge to yelp, automatically taking a step backwards; that all too familiar vein was poking out of Akane's head, and her knuckles popped noisily as she made a fist. "What was that about my cooking?" She favored him with a chilly smile and waited with a calm patience for him to say something equally stupid so she could knock him flying. He seemed to sense this, and immediately began to sweat. But, rather than try and justify what he'd said and get himself pounded on, he had the good sense to just think it over and apologize. "I was just kidding Akane, I'm sorry. You really aren't that bad of a cook," he embellished, praying for the strength to keep a straight face.

Now it was her turn to blink in surprise, for that was certainly not the reaction she had been anticipating. But, she wasn't going to let him off the hook that easy, she decided silently, suppressing a smile. She spoke to Konatsu, keeping her voice even. "Be careful going home, we'll come visit soon, maybe…" She glared at Ranma at the word "maybe" and turned with a huff, starting off home without him.

Ranma could only stare after her, then shake his head. "Well, that was relatively painless." He turned back around, a grin on his face, but it immediately faded and he turned back in the direction Akane was walking, not wanting her to get too far ahead. Konatsu cleared his throat and hefted Ukyo into a more comfortable carrying position. "Well, I guess we'll be off too…" He turned and started away, but then stopped, called over his shoulder. "Say, Ranma? Do make sure you come over tomorrow, we need to talk. And if you want to bring Akane, I think that would be okay. It would be better than leaving her alone I think…" He was silent for a moment, letting it sink in. "You know what I mean?"

Ranma swallowed hard and turned to walk after Akane, calling back. "Yeah, no problem. We'll be there." After that he broke into a run, and didn't slow until he had caught up to her. She turned her head and favored him with a cold smile, then immediately turned away to hide a real smile threatening to break out, lest he figure out that she wasn't really all that angry at him. She was honestly more than a little surprised he'd actually apologized right off the bat, instead taking his sweet time and acting like an insensitive clod. _'He must be unconsciously learning a thing or two from his girl side,'_she mused to herself.

In the meantime, Ranma was still trying to think of what to say to get her to calm down and listen. "C'mon, you've actually gotten better at cooking since when I first met you. You couldn't even boil water back then!" He gave a forced laugh at his own joke and waited for an answer, then scratched his head nervously as he tried to think of a retraction that wouldn't sound stupid. He wet his lips and gave a weak chuckle. "Back then, I mean! You know, at least now you know how-" he broke off suddenly when he heard a muffled giggle from her. He got a bland smirk on his face and reached out, gently turning her to face him as they walked. Sure enough, she had both hands clamped over her mouth, obviously fighting desperately against something she thought was absolutely hilarious, and losing. He turned from her and gave a single bark of a laugh, then helpfully added in dry tones, "Oh, ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha. Also ha…"

Akane's fragile control broke and she burst out laughing at him, doubling over, barely able to keep walking. She was already trying to apologize for doing so, but the trouble was she was still laughing, so she couldn't manage much more than a word a breath. "I'm sorry! I just…couldn't…help it!" She tried again to stop laughing and succeeded for about two seconds. Then Ranma turned back around with that look still on his face and she broke down again.

He rolled his eyes and stopped walking, shaking his head. "Would you shut up and walk already?" This only set off even more hysteria; he guessed it would probably help if he wasn't trying not to laugh as well. He crossed his arms and tried to look stoic, but only succeeded in letting a big, foolish grin spread across his face as he tried to be angry, or at least annoyed. "It's not funny, Akane! Well, it ain't that funny, anyways…" A chuckle broke up his sentence halfway through, and he gave up, just standing there shaking his head while he waited for her to start walking again.

She finally got herself under control and started walking again, wiping a tear or two from her eye, still giggling a little. "I'm sorry, Ranma. It's just that, when you figured out I wasn't mad, the look on your face…it was just priceless," she tried helplessly, knowing the fact that she still thought it was funny would probably pretty much make her apology pretty hard to believe. He gave a withering smile in return, as expected, but it was pretty clear he wasn't too upset. In fact he looked more than a little amused himself. Suddenly for no reason at all she found herself thinking about everything that had happened in the last few days, and what might happen yet. And this managed to help her stop laughing, quite quickly.

Ranma seemed to sense this and looked at her curiously. "You okay?" She nodded, still smiling, and gave one last chuckle, unable to resist a parting shot, both for humor's sake, and to reassure herself that whatever was going to happen, she would still be able to get a laugh out of him. "You looked like such a little kid a minute ago. Like you'd just been fussed at for something and you were all mad and huffy…" She shook her head, trying not to break down again. She stumbled on something, perhaps just a misstep from oxygen deprivation, but either way she ended up bumping into him. He laughed and bumped back lightly, enough to make her stumble again. She grinned and bumped into him harder, nearly knocking both of them down. They were both laughing now, and more or less supporting each other to keep the other from falling down.

Ranma was first to straighten up and reached out to steady her. "Anybody watching thinks we're drunk or something…" She scoffed, straightening out her clothes and hair. Despite gossip and rumors to the contrary, she did care a little about how she looked, especially if it entailed going home looking like the two of them had been wrestling or something. She inadvertently got a mental picture and turned away, looking elsewhere to hide a blush. "I doubt it." She managed not to look back right away as she felt him take hold of her hand with his, but just barely.

She slowly did look back towards the road ahead though, carefully sneaking a glance at Ranma to see if he was looking at her. He seemed to be studying the horizon, but she could tell that was just so he didn't have to look at anything else. She did the same, making about a hundred abortive attempts to think of something to say, and finally settling on just silence. Neither of them noticed the other was blushing, and neither of them said a word, but they didn't let go of each other's hand until they got home.


End file.
